Few people have done more to transform a rowing club than Alan Watson, a distinguished oarsman, an outstanding coach and inspirational teacher who became the architect of the University of London’s rowing successes from the late 1950s onwards.

A successful oarsman in his own right, Watson rowed with distinction for Thames Rowing Club from the 1947 to 1957, including five appearances in the Grand at Henley Royal Regatta. He represented England at the Commonwealth Games in 1954, winning a silver medal, Great Britain at the European Championships in 1955 and at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. However, it was as a coach that he made his real impact.

Up until the late 1950s the University of London had produced a respectable crew each year — indeed Alan Watson, along with notable oarsmen such as Geoffrey Page and Colin Porter had rowed in them — but without ever really being a contender for major honours.

Then, in 1958, Watson took over as chief coach of the University Boat Club, a role to which he gave, unpaid, more than 20 hours a week, 11 months a year for the next 16 years, on top of his full-time teaching role at Latymer Upper School. At the same time he was elected president of the university boat club, a position to which he was annually re-elected for the next 45 years.

Progress was swift, and continuous. Within a year, UL had reached the final of the Thames Cup at Henley. Within a further two years they had won it. Far from being a pinnacle of success, this was the start of a new era. The following year UL entered the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley, acquitting themselves well against the winning Russian Navy crew, but nonetheless drawing press comment that the university was getting ideas above its station.

That view was put firmly into perspective when one year on, UL won the Grand, beating Cornell University, the American favourites, before going on to achieve 5th place for Great Britain in the European Championships of 1963. UL had been placed among the foremost centres of British rowing.

During the time Watson was Chief Coach UL notched up a total of eight Henley wins. Thirty of the students Watson personally coached between 1960 and 1974 went on to represent Great Britain in the 1960, 1964 and 1968 Olympics, the 1962, 1970 & 1974 World Championships, the 1961, 1963, 1964, 1969, 1971 and 1973 European Championships and to Gold Medal in the 1962 Perth Commonwealth Games. Since 1974 and during his Presidency a further 70 UL oarsmen have achieved International honours.

Watson served on the Amateur Rowing Association Council from 1964 to 1979, on the Council for Youth Rowing from 1965 to 1973 and was Chairman of the Junior Selection Board in 1971.

By developing young talent and raising the bar in terms of aspiration, UL contributed significantly to the international revival of British rowing. When Steve Redgrave won the first of his Olympic medals, there was a UL-developed oarsman, Richard Budgett in the crew with him; when he won his fifth there was another, Tim Foster.

Alan Richard Watson was born in 1929 in Edmonton, North London and was educated at Durstan House Preparatory School, Latymer Upper School, and Westminster College, University of London. Initially reading mathematics at Westminster, Watson switched to Arts & Crafts and on completing his National Service in 1953 he was invited to teach at Latymer Upper School, becoming head of the craft department and master in charge of rowing. In 1974, eager for fresh challenges, he moved to Haileybury, a non-rowing school, as Head of craft, design and technology. He retired in 1989 to live initially in Leyburn, becoming a church warden of St Matthews, steering the church through two interregnums and singing in the church choir before finally settling in Sheringham in Norfolk.

Having built a powerful crew which won the Grand in 1968 and represented GB at the Mexico Olympics, all the athletes moved on. Watson found himself the following year with a squad of small, inexperienced newcomers. Many would have given up, or perhaps sought more glamorous coaching pastures elsewhere. Instead Watson just got on with it. Within two years, this group had notched up a Henley double, and later four members of the crew moved on to become Olympic oarsmen and later still, three became world champions as lightweights.

When Watson stepped down as chief coach in 1974 there was speculation that this would be the end of UL’s success. But Watson had bred and tutored a cadre of UL coaches drawn from oarsmen that he had coached. In the following year, having handed over to Dermod Sweeney with a group of ex-ULBC rowers as his coaching team, the university won both the Ladies Plate and the Prince Philip Cup at Henley, and formed the basis of the GB eight at the World Championships.

Watson was always encouraging and supportive of his successors, but never critical or interfering. Indeed, he was a remarkably modest man. Few at Haileybury even knew of his past involvement with rowing. Instead, he took over the school’s fencing activities (of which he had had no experience) and made Haileybury into one of the country’s top fencing schools.

Never an “establishment figure” in rowing, Watson nevertheless had a huge regard for its traditions, particularly the Royal Regatta, and few things gave him more satisfaction than being elected a Steward in 1980. With his booming voice and upright square-shouldered stance, looking like some one out of a Boys’ Own paper of yesteryear, Watson will be remembered with great affection. Watson married June Margaret Denny, a piano teacher and accompanist, in 1964. He is survived by her and by their son and daughter.

Alan Watson, teacher and rowing coach, was born on July 9, 1929. He died on February 15, 2007, aged 77