What Happened To Joe Rantz After The 1936 Olympics

The Boys in the Boat tells the triumphant true story of the American men’s rowing team, including Joe Rantz, at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games. Callum Turner played Rantz in the 2023 biographical sports drama based on Daniel James Brown’s 2013 book of the same name. As depicted in the movie, Rantz was a working-class student and rower at the University of Washington who was chosen to join the men’s eight team for the Olympics, along with seven of his teammates at the college. Out of all the rowers, though, The Boys in the Boat focused on Rantz the most.

Aside from Turner as Rantz, some other central members of the cast of The Boys in the Boat included Joel Edgerton as Al Ulbrickson, Jack Mulhern as Don Hume, and Peter Guinness as George Pocock. The entire eight-person men’s rowing team was featured in the film, but as mentioned above, Rantz was the star of The Boys in the Boat, given his distressing upbringing and inspiring persistence. The actor’s star power paid off as many of The Boat and the Boat‘s reviews claimed that Turner’s performance was one of the movie’s highlights.

Joe Rantz Worked For Boeing After Graduating From The University Of Washington

Rantz Graduated With A Chemical Engineering Degree

After winning the gold medal in the men’s eight at the 1936 Summer Olympics, Joe Rantz continued competing in the University of Washington senior varsity eights. Rantz even went on to win the United States National Intercollegiate Rowing Association title in 1937. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, Rantz graduated in 1939 with a chemical engineering degree. His prestigious degree from the University of Washington later helped the Olympic rower secure a job at the Boeing Corporation for 35 years.

Did Joe Rantz Marry Joyce Simdars?

The Couple Was Married Up Until Their Deaths

Joe Rantz married his college girlfriend, Joyce, played by Hadley Robinson in The Boys in the Boat, on May 27, 1939, the same year he graduated from the University of Washington. By all accounts, their marriage was a happy one as they stayed together until they died in the 2000s. Additionally, the couple ultimately had five children together in the years following their wedding.

Since Rantz had a troubled childhood, as depicted in George Clooney’s The Boys in the Boat, he was determined to give his kids a positive and stable life. His mother died when he was a toddler, and his father’s next wife treated Rantz quite poorly. His father and stepmother abandoned him when he was a teenager, and Rantz was forced to provide for himself and put himself through school. Given his rough upbringing, Rantz wanted to give his children a better life, and he seemingly did.

What Else Joe Rantz Did Before His Death In 2007

Following his retirement from rowing, Joe Rantz committed himself to a stable job that could help him provide for his family. By all accounts, it seems he worked for Boeing for most of his life. It’s unclear when he settled into retirement, and Rantz’s other adventures are unknown as he lived a pretty quiet life. His wife, Joyce, died in 2002 after 63 years of marriage. Rantz died a few years later, on September 10, 2007, at the age of 93, from congestive heart failure. So, all in all, following the events of the 2023 movie The Boys in the Boat, Rantz evidently had a long and fulfilling life.

The Boys in the Boat

The Boys in the Boat is a 2023 sports drama by director George Clooney. The film centers on the 1930s University of Washington rowing team, who train feverishly to win the gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The Boys in the Boat is based on the book of the same name by Daniel James Brown.

Release Date

December 25, 2023

Distributor(s)

Amazon MGM Studios

Writers

Mark L. Smith

Cast

Joel Edgerton , Callum Turner , Peter Guinness , Sam Strike , Jack Mulhern

Runtime

124 Minutes

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Source: National Federation of State High School Associations