Robbie Tenenbaum Named Assistant Women’s Rowing Coach at Clemson

May 2, 2009

CLEMSON, SC – Head Women’s Rowing Coach Richard Ruggieri announced the addition of Robbie Tenenbaum as assistant women’s rowing coach at Clemson University Saturday.

“Coach Tenenbaum is the missing ingredient needed to become an elite program year in and year out,” said Clemson Head Coach Richard Ruggieri. “His knowledge, positive attitude and ability to support the philosophy of Clemson Rowing and University are welcomed. I am proud to welcome Coach Tenenbaum to Clemson.” As the women’s varsity assistant coach, he will help Ruggieri with recruiting, and all aspects of the women’s rowing program. “I am absolutely thrilled to be here at Clemson University, stated Tenenbaum. We have a great group of women that are working very hard to be the preeminent rowing program in the nation. I am looking forward to working with Coach Ruggieri and all of the great people here in Clemson.”

Tenenbaum comes to Clemson from Coral Gables, Fl where he served for two years as the Head Women’s Rowing Coach at the University of Miami. Prior to his stint at Miami, he was the assistant coach at the University of Washington for the 2006-07 seasons, where he helped lead the Washington Huskies to a top 10 finish at the NCAA Championships.

Tenenbaum spent 1998-2006 at Ohio State where he earned the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association’s (CRCA) 2006 award for Assistant Coach of the Year. That prestigious award is designed to recognize an assistant coach who had success during the recent season, while demonstrating great team improvement from the prior season, fulfilling the team’s potential and demonstrating a high level of professionalism and integrity as a coach.

He received back-to-back CRCA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2005 and 2006.

Primary responsibilities for Tenenbaum at Ohio State included overseeing the second varsity eight, and assisting with the varsity squad and recruiting.

Under his instruction at Ohio State, the second varsity eight boat finished fourth in the Grand Final in both the 2005 and 2006 NCAA Championships. The Buckeyes won both of their Grand Finals at the 2006 Big Ten and Central Region championships and had a seven-race win streak during the regular season.

In 2005, the second varsity eight also finished first at the Big Ten Championships. Tenenbaum helped guide the Ohio State first varsity four to a sixth-place finish at the 2004 NCAA Championships and a fourth-place finish in 2003.

In addition to university coaching, Tenenbaum was an assistant coach for the United States Junior National Rowing Team from 1996-2001. In 1996, his Junior Women’s eight took fourth at the World Rowing Championships in Scotland; a year later he was an assistant coach for the Junior Women’s eight that finished third at the World Rowing Championships in Belgium. In 1999, he was an assistant with the Junior Women’s eight that finished second in Bulgaria.

He assisted the Junior National Team during the summers of 2000 and 2001 when the Junior Women’s four won gold and silver medals in Croatia and Germany respectively. Tenenbaum was named the head coach for the U.S. Junior National team in October 2001. His junior women’s eight won a bronze medal in Lithuania in the summer of 2002 and a silver medal at the Junior World Championships in Athens, Greece in 2003. Tenenbaum has held head coaching positions at Tulsa (1997-98), Florida Tech (1994-95), and with the Clemson Club program (1993-94) as well as being the assistant women’s coach at Tennessee from 1995-1997.

A native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, Tenenbaum earned a marketing degree from Tampa in 1992.