Stetson University Athletics

Anthony Chacon serves as an assistant coach with the Stetson Men's Rowing program, bringing more than two decades of experience in collegiate rowing, athlete development and coxing to DeLand… Chacon joined the Hatters following a successful stint at Colgate University, where he helped guide the Raiders to Dad Vail titles and record-setting performances at the IRA National Championship. At Stetson, Chacon works alongside head coach Jamie Francis in the technical and competitive development of the men's rowing program… His background as a coach and longtime coxswain provides the Hatters with extensive experience in race preparation, technical development, crew communication and high-performance training. Chacon has helped Stetson continue building greater depth and speed throughout the men's rowing program… His experience in technical instruction, coxing and high-performance development has provided the Hatters with a strong foundation in both day-to-day training and race preparation. During the 2025-26 season, Stetson's Varsity 8 earned victories over Florida Tech at Canal 54 and Jacksonville… The Hatters also captured the Men's Varsity 8 B Final at the SIRA Championship, while the Second Varsity 8 earned a runner-up finish in its B Final. Prior to Stetson, Chacon joined the Colgate men's rowing staff in 2018… During his tenure, he helped the Raiders capture the Men's 8+ title at the 2019 Dad Vail Regatta and produce back-to-back school-record performances at the IRA National Championship. In 2021, Chacon coached the JV 4+ and Varsity 2- to gold medals at the Dad Vail Regatta… His Varsity 4+ also finished 17th overall at the 2021 IRA National Championship. His time at Colgate helped further establish Chacon as a technical coach capable of developing crews for championship-level competition. While earning his master's degree at Fresno Pacific University, Chacon served as head men's coach at Long Beach State… In 2018, the novice 4+ captured the program's first trophy in 14 years at the Newport Regatta. Chacon also worked extensively with the Long Beach Rowing Association, coaching men's and women's Masters crews while continuing to compete as a coxswain. His work with the association included coaching the Women's Masters 8 to a first-place finish at the San Diego Crew Classic while gaining experience working with former national team and Olympic athletes from the United States, Canada and Denmark. Chacon began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Notre Dame before moving to Chicago, where he worked with the Lincoln Park Boat Club, University of Chicago and Chicago Rowing Union… Each program increased its competitive success during his time coaching in the area. At Lincoln Park, Chacon helped a Masters 8 earn a medal at the Head of the Charles… Chicago Rowing Union developed into one of the top Masters programs in the Midwest during his tenure, earning victories at the Milwaukee River Challenge, Grand Regatta and Chicago Sprints. Chacon later served as an assistant coach at North Park before continuing his career at Long Beach State and Colgate. Chacon has also worked with the Nassau Rowing Club in The Bahamas, helping introduce junior athletes to the sport through learn-to-row camps… His work contributed to the development of athletes who later competed at the national and international levels. Two athletes Chacon helped teach went on to capture gold medals at the 2018 US Club Nationals before later competing at the U19 and U23 World Rowing Championships. Chacon earned his USRowing Level 3 High Performance Coach Certification in June 2020 after being selected as one of 16 coaches from 39 applicants. Over six months, Chacon completed 11 elite coaching modules and more than 100 hours of training in areas including biomechanics, advanced rigging, long-term athlete development and rowing philosophy. His technical background and continued professional development have provided a strong foundation for his work with collegiate crews. Chacon began his collegiate rowing career at Grand Valley State with plans to compete as a rower before transitioning into the coxswain seat… During his collegiate career, he coxed multiple men's and women's crews, including appearances at the Canadian Henley. His senior season included victories with the Women's 4V at the Marietta Invitational and Men's 4V at the Michigan Invitational. Chacon continued competing as a coxswain following college and has enjoyed significant success at the Head of the Charles Regatta… His experience has included coxing crews featuring former Olympic and national team athletes as well as a USRowing entry. Among his accomplishments, Chacon coxed an Oklahoma High Performance Training Center lineup composed of national team athletes to a Head of the Charles victory and event course record… He later earned additional Head of the Charles gold medals with Long Beach Rowing Association and Toronto Scullers. Chacon has also remained active in the administration and development of collegiate rowing… Since the launch of the Intercollegiate Rowing Coaches Association, he has served as chair of the Legislative Review Committee. In that role, Chacon has worked with coaches on compliance, athlete protection, legislative issues and promoting fair competition throughout collegiate rowing. Chacon's coaching career includes stops with Stetson, Colgate, Long Beach State, North Park, Notre Dame and numerous rowing clubs… His résumé spans collegiate, Masters, junior and high-performance competition. His background as both a coach and coxswain has provided him with a broad understanding of technical development, race strategy, athlete communication and crew dynamics. Chacon graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2003… Later earned his master's degree in kinesiology from Fresno Pacific University in 2015. Before transitioning into full-time coaching, Chacon built a career in information technology at several colleges and universities, eventually serving as Manager of Technology for the Biological Science Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago… His desire to pursue rowing full-time ultimately led him back to school to earn his master's degree and fully commit to coaching. Outside of rowing, Chacon enjoys working on vintage American muscle cars, particularly General Motors models, along with vintage recreational vehicles and Volkswagens.