Characters

Boys in the Boat
Bobby Moch: Coxswain of the boat. Very smart and determined. He always tried to play sports growing up but he was too small to be good so being a cox was good for him. He could still compete and his size would not hinder him. He also recently found out that he was Jewish before going to Berlin, his family kept that a secret from him.
Don Hume: Stroke seat of the boat. Stroke's job is to set the pace which controls the whole boat. Don is very good but when the boys went to Berlin, he fell ill. He had to row the Olympic race with pneumonia but somehow completed it. At the end of the race he passed out after they won.
Joe Rantz: Main character of the book. He is very independent due to growing up poor and having his family abandon him at the age of 12. He is usually cast out because he is so poor- his clothes don't look nice and he eats all that he can when he is offered food. He rowed to stay in school. During the book one of the coaches realizes that something of off about him, he doesn't trust the other boys in the boat and believes he can do everything by himself. Eventually he realizes that in order to win he had to completely trust the others and row as a crew, not as individuals. Decided to row because being on the team guaranteed a part-time job somewhere on campus.
George "Shorty" Hunt: Earned his nickname by being an astonishing 6'5" tall. He is free spirited and was happy to row in any boat. He also whispered encouraging words to Joe when he was having trouble.
Jim "Stub" McMillin: Stood at 6'6" also accounting for his nickname "Stub". He rowed as hard in a losing cause as a winning one and never gave up, no matter what.
Johnny White: His father had been a sculler so he had grown up rowing.
Gordy Adam: Was very quiet, but determined.
Chuck Day: Had a tenancy to fight first and ask questions later, which helped put a spark in the boats engine.
Roger Morris: Was one of the first friends Joe had on the team.


Other Characters
<-- Al Ulbrickson: Coach of Washington's rowing program. He always inspired the boys and expected the best from them.
George Pocock: A boat builder who offered advice and wisdom to rowers. He was the one who realized that Joe's issues were caused by his lack of trust for his teammates.