Dick van Ogtrop studied chemistry in Amsterdam, and joined the student rowing society Nereus. As a member, he helped win the main race (coxed fours) in the top Dutch student rowing competition, the Varsity, in 1924. He was named reserve for the Dutch eights crew at the Olympics, but did not see any action in Paris. A month later, he was competing on the boat that won the 1924 European Championships. Van Ogtrop claimed another European medal in 1926, this time in the coxless fours. That same year, he joined a Jesuit monastery. In 1930, he joined the Jesuit high school in Amsterdam (Ignatius College) as a gym teacher and co-founded the school’s rowing club, RIC. When he was ordained a priest, he moved to Nijmegen, where he counselled students. He also remained interested in rowing, co-founding the Nijmegen student rowing club Phocas in 1946. In 1959, he moved to Rozenburg to lead the Catholic there, until health problems forced him into retirement in 1966. He passed away in 1975. In his honour, Phocas named one of their eights “Dick van Ogtrop” - earlier there had already been a “Père (father) van Ogtrop” eight as well.
Netherlands