Rower Will Miller Follows In Dad's Footsteps

After a close call that almost kept the U.S. rowing team out of the Olympic Games for the first time since 1900, Will Miller, 28, and his teammates will be heading to London. For Miller, the trek across the Atlantic will be a reminder that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree; his dad, William Miller, was a rower on the 1972 U.S. Olympic team in the men's coxless fours.

"It was cool growing up because he never really imposed anything on me," young Will, who didn't start rowing until he went to college, at Northwestern, told USA Today of his dad. "He never ever tried and forced me to row or anything like that. I just kind of fell into it on my own."

Even after college, Will said it took him some time to get roped back into rowing. "I graduated from Northeastern and my original plan was just to get a job. After taking some time off after graduating I found that I missed the competitive nature of rowing," he recounted. "I missed the teamwork and everything else. I just really missed the sport. I started doing a little bit of training on my own and found myself in a position to head out to California Rowing Club in San Francisco rowing under Tim McLaren, who has a great reputation as a coach, so I took the opportunity. It's been just rowing since then."