Mike Knopp brought rowing to Oklahoma City University as the first rowing coach for OCU ever. OCU became the first varsity rowing program in Oklahoma in 2004 after Knopp started the program as a club team in 2000.
Under Knopp’s guidance, OCU has garnered multiple achievements on and off the water. The success of OCU rowers has increased every year during Knopp’s tenure and has included multiple rowing champions and seen OCU rowers compete on the U.S. Under-23 national team.
Knopp has been instrumental in growing the sport in the state. Knopp was also the driving force behind the OCU Head of the Oklahoma Regatta, an annual rowing competition that attracts more than 50,000 spectators and competitors to Oklahoma City each year. This event has been recognized as the “National Regatta of the Year” and was the first U.S. Rowing competition to include night racing.
Other achievements include the designation of the Oklahoma River as an official Olympic training site, the construction of the Chesapeake finish line tower, multiple local, national, and international championship competitions, and the master plan development of the Oklahoma River.