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For nearly 20 years, Scott Frandsen has been a part of Cal men's rowing, first as a student-athlete, then as an assistant coach and now in his first year leading the storied program. Given his experience and connection to Cal crew, perhaps no one is better suited to sit in the head coach's chair at this moment in time.
 
With a deep understanding of the legacy of the Golden Bears and the expectations that come with it, steering the Cal tradition – one that includes 17 IRA varsity eight titles and three Olympic gold medals – can carry a heavy weight. Frandsen, though, fully embraces it, and recognizes that the Bears cannot solely rely on their history to achieve the success they want today.
 
"It's not just trying to impose the culture on what we used to have because that kind of gets stuck in history," Frandsen said. "It's empowering them to make it their own, and they feel totally in charge of it. They feel that it's theirs. That makes it more fun and engaging for them."
 
Since he first edged out onto the water as a freshman at Cal, Frandsen has attained high levels of achievement in many different athletic forms – NCAA champion, Olympic medalist, Ironman competitor and even reality TV contestant.
 
Now, Frandsen steps a far different role. No longer is he in the boat having a direct impact on whether his team wins or loses. Rather, it's his turn to provide the guidance the current generation of Golden Bears needs to reach the pinnacle of the sport.
 
"I think the legacy of our alums is a huge part of why we have the program that we do because they are so engaged in helping to fund what we're able to do every year," Frandsen said. "At the same time, they don't want us to live in the past. They want the guys to create their own stories, to create their own history. That blending of generations with specific elements of their experience translates into what's going on now. That continuation of history is really cool."
 
Adds Andy Rogers, the current president of Friends of Cal Crew and whose father's name adorns the T. Gary Rogers Rowing Center, home of the Golden Bears: "Scott not only has the potential to be a great coach, but he also has the added advantage of being someone who has rowed at and lived through Cal. Those things are special. There's value there, and there's opportunity there."
 
Frandsen's contributions to Cal's history began in 1998-99 as a freshman and he has since become one of the most decorated oarsmen ever at the school. He helped Cal's varsity eight to three consecutive IRA and Pac-10 championships with a pair of undefeated seasons, and earned All-Pac-10 and academic all-conference recognition.
 
Following his graduation with a degree from the Haas School of Business, Frandsen moved his rowing prowess to the international stage, racing in three Olympics and five World Championships regattas for his native Canada. He won a silver medal in the pair at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing and claimed seven medals in World Cup events, including three goals in the eight and a gold in the pair. Frandsen attended Oxford University, where he raced and coached, and received his master's degree in psychological research.
 
Frandsen returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach in 2012 under Mike Teti, who had succeeded Frandsen's college coach at Cal – Steve Gladstone – four years earlier. The combination meant that Frandsen had the opportunity to learn under two of the most accomplished rowing coaches in history.
 
"My coaching philosophy is this mosaic of all the coaches that I've had," Frandsen said. "I've been able to piece together all of them, and also my own athletic experience through Cal, Oxford and the Olympic team. It's a work in progress, but I think it's based on a training expectation of what needs to be done and the attitude that you bring to that. It's ever-changing."
 
In order to ensure that he has a good rapport with his team, Frandsen said he regularly checks in with the crew's leadership, utilizing their feedback to help shape training regimens. It's an important part of relationship building between coach and student.
 
"The student-athlete experience is different than the Olympics," Frandsen said. "Guys are managing difficult other aspects of their lives and we need to give them time to do that. Otherwise, it's going to spiral out of control, or injuries or sickness come in. So you've got to be able to push hard when you can and back off when you need to and mix it up so it's not just bashing your head against a wall and hoping that they recover in time for racing."
 
Frandsen's expectations for his student-athletes extend well beyond the water, particularly into the classroom. It's a message he often gives to his team, and this past fall, the Bears earned the Newmark Award for having the highest GPA for a large men's team at Cal for the 2017-18 academic year.
 
"Genuinely, I was as excited and proud about that as a big race win," Frandsen said. "That just shows that the messages are being heard and acted upon. It sets guys up for success for life after rowing. A lot of these guys will go onto the national team and the Olympics – some won't – but whenever they're done rowing, they need to have been successful at Cal academically to then leverage that to whatever's next."
 
Luke Walton, whose Cal career overlapped with Frandsen's for three years, sees the potential for his former teammate at the head of the program, noting his attention to both the bigger picture and precision elements sets him apart.
 
"When he decides to do something, he just goes and he does it," Walton said. "The details are vitally important in that process, from training to nutrition to sleep and recovery."
 
Frandsen's grasp of rowing is clear, and although it has been less than a year since he was officially elevated into his current role in late May 2018, he seems to possess the right perspective.
 
"This isn't about me," Frandsen said. "It's about doing everything I possibly can to set the guys up for success. Yes, I'm a big part of that, but it's getting past the ego and being open to having help if it helps these guys reach their potential, which is the ultimate goal.
 
"It's been an interesting year of getting much more comfortable in the role and feeling fairly confident and at ease with it," Frandsen continued. "We've got a great group – really, really strong students and strong athletes with solid rowing pedigrees, a very engaged senior class. I think I feel the pressure the most to do everything I can to help facilitate their success and not to have anything come in that can get in their way."
 
Given his accomplishments as a student, a rower and a coach, Frandsen is well prepared for his task at hand, and with the 2019 IRA National Championship straight ahead, no one is more eager to see how the Bears race.
 
"Being the head coach at another program has its perks, but this is the program that's in my blood," Frandsen said. "I've been a part of it since the fall of 1998, and I hopefully will be a part of it for decades to come."