The Boat Race 1987

The race featured the tallest, heaviest, youngest and oldest crew members in the event's history.

Oxford's crew rebelled in the prelude to the race, with several American rowers and the cox leaving the squad in February after their coach Dan Topolski removed their compatriot Chris Clark from the crew, replacing him with Scottish rower Donald Macdonald.

First held in 1829, the race takes place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London.

[2] The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities and is followed throughout the United Kingdom; the races are broadcast worldwide.

lamented Lyons)[10] led to the crew walking out on at least one occasion, and resulted in the coach revising his approach.

[11] After considerable negotiation and debate, much of it conducted in the public eye, Clark, Penny, Huntington, Lyons and Fish were dropped and replaced by members of Oxford's reserve crew, Isis.

[15] A malfunction to umpire Colin Moynihan's barge caused a delay to the start; as a consequence the crews avoided racing in a lightning storm.

[15] Almost a length ahead by Craven Cottage, Oxford steered across and in front of Cambridge to control the race before the Mile Post.

[15] In the reserve race, Cambridge's Goldie beat Oxford's Isis by one length, their first victory in three years.

"[15] Topolski acknowledged his crew's luck in winning the toss combined with the conditions: "We had been praying for rough water.

"[11] In 1989 Topolski and author Patrick Robinson's book about the events, True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny, was published.

"[9] Clark, by 2023 the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers men’s rowing programme, would conclude that he had learnt things from the experience that helped his own coaching and said that: “The entire thing was unnecessary,” admitting “I purposely never really talk much about it, only because it’s painful…it was so odd and like it or not, I was the central figure in it.” Whilst maintaining there was a “vacuum of leadership”, “no professional coaching staff”, and “no central authority…I certainly didn’t understand how much power the President had,” he said he personally held “no grudge whatsoever, If you’re going to throw a giant rock in a pool you’ve got to expect the wakes that are going to come.