Scott Erwin – Director of LBSU Rowing and Men’s Head Coach
Years with Beach Crew: 5 years
Alma Mater: California State University- Long Beach
Contact: LBmensrowing (at) gmail.com
Background: Coach Erwin first started rowing in 1983. He was a student at San Diego State University when their crew team was recruiting on campus with a big eight-rowboat in the middle of the quad. He found his passion for rowing there and stated, “I loved practice, it was like Christmas morning, I couldn’t wait for them.” He won the Western Sprints Championships in his novice eight at SDSU in 1983 and won it again in a varsity
four in 1986. That same year, he was selected for Pre-Elites and went on to make the Pan-American team in 1987. He won a silver medal at the Pan American Games. From 1988-92 he was part of a selection camp for the national team and had many wins. He has been coaching the Men’s Crew with experience in competition, technique, and discipline.
Coach Scott has been a part of Beach Crew since 1987 after rowing at Long Beach for one year. He was away for a long time until 2020 when he started assistant coaching for the Men’s Crew. He stated that his goals for the team are, “To help each athlete meet and exceed their goals and expectations they have for joining the team. Show them through commitment and hard work that they can push their bodies beyond their limitation. Start building the foundation of a program that competes at a level where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Mike McAndrews – Women’s Head Coach
Years with Beach Crew: 5 years
Alma Mater: California State University, Long Beach
Contact: mcandrews.mike (at) yahoo.com
Background: Mike started rowing as a freshman in high school, while he was living in Philadelphia. He won the Scholastic National Championship, Stotesbury Cup Championship and was a four-time Philadelphia City Champion during high school. He won a rowing scholarship to the Florida Institute of Technology and stayed there for three years. During his last year of college, he did not have a scholarship. He transferred to Long Beach State for its ocean engineering program and crew.
McAndrews first coached for a few months in the 80s but had to give it up in order to work. Since he has been able to have a more flexible schedule, he has been assistant coaching at Long Beach for both the Men’s and Women’s Crews for the last 5 years. This past May he received a coaching
award from the United States Marine Corps for his dedication and hard work with the Long Beach Men’s Crew. He stated that his goals for the Women’s Crew is to, “Teach them how to row well, to have fun and to make it a lifelong sport for them.”
John O’Donnell – Boatmaster
Years with Beach Crew: 19
Alma Mater: California State University, Long Beach
Background: Beach Crew Boatman, John O’Donnell, has the distinction of being on board with Beach Crew since 2004, the longest in the current lineup of staff. “Coach John,” as his rowers call him, is a mentor to all of his athletes. They love his passion to introduce the sport to many walk-on athletes as well as those continuing in the sport who have rowed in the past.
Coach John himself was a rower at CSULB in Coach Peter Mallory’s lightweight crew in 1974. John is a certified referee for US Rowing.
When asked why he loves the sport, his response was rather taken by surprise as he pointed out to a crew that just threw their coxswain in the water after winning a scrimmage. “You see that? That’s why I’m here doing this. You can’t experience that anywhere else.”
Brian Coriaty – Student Life & Development Adviser
Years with Beach Crew: 3
Background: