The Head of the Charles is traditionally the end of most teams' fall seasons, and marks the 21st year of BC's rowing team, which was founded in 1987. Since then it has become a force within New England, and even in national competitions.

The program depends in part upon Community Rowing Inc. (CRI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to making rowing available to the Boston area. Harvard coach Harry Parker has worked with the program to help bring it to national prominence and make it one of the largest rowing programs in the United States. "Community Rowing is greatly important in the rowing community and opens up the sport of rowing to almost anyone who wants to learn or compete," Parker said.

Since the men's team, which works out of the CRI boathouse, is a student-run club program, there are no scholarships offered to BC men's crew members. The team, though, is considered one of the "teams to beat" in New England, with fall races that traditionally consist of the Head of the Charles and the Princeton Chase, and invitational regatta hosted by Princeton University that attracts the top rowing schools in the country.

Besides the weekend's Head of the Charles, BC participates in key races near the end of its spring season. The New England championship has always been a successful event for BC rowing, as the team consistently places well; it often makes it to the grand finals, the New England four championship where the team won the men's Division Points Trophy for best overall men's team in 2006.

The team has also participated in the Dad Vail Regatta, a national championship that is the largest intercollegiate regatta in the world. Rival squads at Dad Vail include Fordham University, Purdue, Colgate, and Georgia Tech. Through 2004-2005, BC crew repeated as champions in the men's varsity lightweight eight at Dad Vail, and in 2007 the men's varsity four placed third.

John Murtagh, president of the rowing team and A&S '09, said that while the team may not be an official varsity team, it is more than capable of competing with the teams at other schools. BC rowing has achieved a winning record against competitive and well-funded varsity programs, such as Holy Cross. "Whether the team is a club or a varsity program varies, but BC's results against these schools never do," Murtagh said "We like to say that we are a club program that trains and competes at a varsity level."

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