[1] It is the direct successor to the Rowing Association of American Colleges, the first collegiate athletic organization in the United States,[2] which operated from 1870–1894.

In the last race of this format in 1967 on Onondaga Lake, in Syracuse, New York, 16 varsity crews waited for the gun to begin their three-mile race—winner take all.

It was viewed by some crews as an additional, quasi-championship, as the field included Harvard and Yale, as well as medalists from the IRA regatta, Pac-10 and Eastern Sprints.

Before 2006, some competitive club rowing programs, which receive little or no funding from their university athletic departments, were invited to the IRA Championship.

In 2006, Rutgers University cut funding from its men's rowing program, reducing it to "club" status.

Part of Rutger's justification for cutting rowing was that clubs could compete equally with funded programs at the IRA Championships.

However, the first college 2000-meter national championship ever held was conducted by local businessmen in Long Beach, California, as a substitute.

Starting in 1974, all races counted in the scoring under a system adopted by the coaches of the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges.