Fall
1972
The Boys Crew team competes in the Head of the Charles Regatta for the first time
Winter
1983
Girls Hockey is added to the athletic program
Spring
1994
Jack Etter '49 retires after decades coaching at Browne & Nichols and BB&N
Spring
2010
The BB&N Boys Baseball team plays their first "perfect season", 20-0.
October
2022
The Grove Street Athletic Campus opens in time for Homecoming
Athletics
The BB&N athletics program has always been a core aspect of the school experience, but athletic offerings have expanded over the last five decades. The 1974-75 offerings for students at the Middle School included health and fitness for all students, boys teams for baseball, basketball, crew, football, hockey, soccer, tennis, and wrestling, and girls teams for basketball, figure skating, field hockey, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, swimming and tennis. The Lower School included all of these, and also offered modern dance classes. In the school catalog for the same year, the Upper School listed the following options:
Today, BB&N is a member of the Independent School League (ISL), and hosts more than 75 interscholastic programs across 25 different sports. Current athletic offerings include cross country, field hockey, football, soccer, strength and conditioning classes, volleyball, basketball, fencing, hockey, squash, wrestling, rock climbing, baseball, softball, crew, golf, lacrosse, sailing, tennis, and track and field. Dance classes continue as part of the performing arts curriculum, and some students also take part in athletic pursuits independent of BB&N.
Above: Jack Etter at his retirement, 1994.
Coach Jack Etter '49 was a central figure at BB&N for decades, so much so that he was regularly referred to as "Central" by ISL referees and students alike. After graduating college, he returned to Browne & Nichols in 1953. An Athletic Director, coach, and teacher, he led the Athletic Department for decades until his retirement from BB&N in 1994. In addition to coaching, he taught Physiology before the merger and directed the summer camp. Each summer, he brought kids into the camp from the surrounding community who didn’t otherwise have the means to join, and it had a huge impact on many families in the community.
After the merger, students campaigned for a more varied and equitable girls athletic program, which at the time often fell to the back burner in favor of the boys teams. Jack Etter was in full support, and dedicated much effort to bringing the girls athletics to the same level as the boys program, despite budget and equipment setbacks. In an interview in the Fall 2001 Bulletin, he proudly recalls: "One year in the mid-'80s, our boys and girls varsity teams combined for an 86% winning record."
From left to right:
Jack Etter teaching Physiology, 1950s.
Jack Etter on the Browne & Nichols Football team, 1949.
Find a transcription of this audio clip at the link here.
The Head of the Charles Regatta is a key date in the BB&N calendar not only for the Crew teams, but also for alumni who return to the school to cheer on students and reunite with their classmates. The Head of the Charles was established in 1965, and the Browne & Nichols Boys Crew team first competed in the 1972 Men's Youth Fours, coming in with a time of 18:32.3. They were awarded the Duncan Cup in that first year, as well as the two following years.
Right: the 1972-1973 Boys Crew Team.
Left: BB&N community members come to the boathouse to cheer at Head of the Charles, 1991.
In Fall 1979, a Girls Crew team was formed at the Middle School. Despite being considered an experiment in the first year, the decision was met with excitement by students who had been campaigning for a Girls Crew team. The team was the first 8th grade Girls Crew team in the Greater Boston area, and coach Hunt Dowse stated that BB&N's purpose was "to build the middle school crew for both boys and girls in a careful, planned, and reasonable way."
Right: student newspaper The Paper announces the Girls Crew team decision, October 15, 1979.
Several years later in 1983, girls athletics offerings expanded to include a new Girls Hockey team. The team was coached by Kathy Newell, and assisted by Mark Fidler. The team's page in the 1985 yearbook ends with the following hope: "Hopefully the years to come will be just as successful for Girls Ice Hockey at BB&N, and we hope that the school will continue to the inspiring support that they have offered for the last two seasons." This wish came true: Girls Hockey celebrated its 40th Anniversary last year, and remains a strong part of the BB&N athletic program. Two years later in 1985, girls athletics offerings expanded when the first Girls Softball team formed.
Below: on the left, a BB&N hockey player moves up the ice, 1984; on the right, from left to right: coaches Ed Bourget '96, Laurie Baker, Kathy Newell, and Courtney Kennedy '97 at the 40th Anniversary celebration, 2023.
Below are photos from BB&N's athletic programs over the past 50 years.
