| Gordy | Adam | A freshman crew at the University of Washington. |
| Lady | Alice | The custom-built sectional boat. |
| Broussais | Beck Jr. | A potential stroke oar at Washington's crew. |
| Eugene | Berkenkamp | California's big and strong oar. |
| J.Lyman | Bingham | The President of AAU and American Olympic Committee. |
| Eddie | Blake | Joe's classmate. |
| Mike | Bogo | The Poughkeepsie's barkeep. |
| Tom | Bolles | Freshman's rowing team coach. Former Washington's oarsman. |
| William | Borah | The Republican Senator in Idaho. |
| Royal | Brougham | The sports editor at the Post-Intellegencer. |
| Dick | Burnley | California's big and strong oar. |
| Rusty | Callow | University of Washington Crew Company. |
| Alma | Castner | Joe's aunt. |
| Sam | Castner | Joe's uncle. |
| Grover | Clark | The Cal's coxswain. |
| Husky | Clipper | Joe's racing shell. |
| Hiram | Conibear | A rowing coach at the University of Washington. |
| Franklin | D. Roosevelt | The New U.S. President. |
| Arthur | Davidson | Bill's partner. |
| Chuck | Day | A freshman crew at the University of Washington. |
| Jack | Dempsey | An American Boxer. |
| John | Dillinger | An American gangster. |
| Joe | DiMaggio | A baseball player. |
| Clarence | Dirks | A writer at Post-Intellegencer. |
| Martha | Dodd | William's daughter. |
| Mattie | Dodd | William's wife. |
| William | Dodd | An American Ambassador to Germany. |
| Peter | Donlon | California's former crew. |
| Ky | Ebright | A revered coach for the University of California's rowing team. |
| Anthony | Eden | Pocock's student. 1st Earl of Avon. |
| Jim Ten | Eyck | A rowing legend. |
| Frances | Farmer | A young drama student. Joe's classmate. |
| Miss | Flatebo | Joe's music teacher. |
| Henry | Fletcher | The chairman of the Republican Party. |
| Henry | Ford | Owner of an automobile company. |
| Wilhelm | Frick | Reich Minister of the Interior. |
| George | Friedlander | A chief of police. |
| Lou | Gehrig | A baseball player. |
| Dr. Joseph | Goebbels | Minister of Public Enlightment of Propaganda. |
| Hildegard | Goebbels | Joseph and Magda's daughter. Aka: Hilde. |
| Magda | Goebbels | Joseph's wife. |
| Franklin | Gorrie | A writer for associated press. |
| Don | Grant | University of Washington's coxswain. |
| Bob | Green | Joe's teammate. |
| Charles | Halstead | Harry's partner. |
| Bill | Harley | A man who attached an engine of their own design on a modified bicycle. |
| Chuck | Hartman | Joe's teammate. |
| Angus | Hay Jr. | Joe's friend. |
| Adolf | Hitler | The Nazi Party Leader. |
| Herbert | Hoover | The 31st U.S. President. |
| Don | Hume | A freshman crew at the University of Washington. |
| George | Hunt | A new rower in the University of Washington Crew. Aka: Shorty. |
| Horatio N. | Jackson | An American physician. |
| Robert | Kelley | A sportswriter at The New York Times. |
| Homer | Kirby | Stroke Oar of the 1908 crew. |
| Thelma | LaFollette | Fred's wife. |
| Thula | LaFollette | Thelma's twin sister. Harry's second wife. |
| Ed | Leader | Former head coach of University of Washington Rowing Team. |
| Bill | Leiser | A sports editor at the Francisco Chronicle. |
| Dr. Theodor | Lewald | President of the German Olympic Organizing Committee. |
| David | Livingstone | A Scottish physician. |
| Harey | Love | The coxswain at the varsity boat. |
| George | Lund | Joe's teammate. |
| Otto | March | Werner's father. |
| Werner | March | An Architect. |
| Nellie | Maxwell | Joe's mother. |
| Charlie | McDonald | Joe's older neighbor. |
| Margaret | McDonald | Charlie's daughter. |
| Pearlie | McDonald | Charlie's daughter. |
| Jim | McMillin | Ulbrickson's crew. Aka: Stub. |
| Robert | McNamara | U.S. secretary of state. A man that Ebright formerly coached. |
| Jack | Medica | A superstar swimmer. |
| John | Merrill | A coxswain at the University of Washington. |
| Vic | Meyers | A local dance master. |
| Roger | Morris | Joe's co-rower. |
| Roger | Morris | An American Historian. |
| George | Morry | The coxswain at the University of Washington. |
| Russ | Nagler | Ebright's freshman coach. |
| Mel | Ott | A professional baseball player. |
| Florence | Palmer | The owner of the Rowing Team's boarding house. |
| Dr. Ernst | Pfenning | The first customer of Henry Ford. |
| Aaron | Pocock | George Pocock's father. |
| Dick | Pocock | George's brother. |
| George Y. | Pocock | A leading designer. Builder of racing shells in the 20th century. |
| Fred | Rantz | Joe's older brother. |
| Harry | Rantz | Joe's father. |
| Joe | Rantz | An American Rower in the University of Washington. |
| Judy | Rantz | Joe's daughter. |
| Mike | Rantz | Joe's half brother. Harry and Thula's son. |
| Polly | Rantz | Harry and Thula's second daughter. |
| Rose | Rantz | Harry and Thula's first daughter. |
| Harry | Rantz Jr. | Joe's half brother. Harry and Thula's son. |
| Leni | Reifenstahl | A German film director. |
| Grantland | Rice | A top sportswriter. |
| Will | Rogers | An American Actor. |
| John | Roosevelt | FDR's son. |
| Teddy | Roosevelt | FDR's distant cousin. |
| Franklin | Roosevelt Jr. | FDR's son. |
| Babe | Ruth | A baseball player. |
| Bud | Schacht | Joe's teammate. |
| John | Schnatterly | Founder of the Ruby Mining Company. |
| Delos | Schoch | Joe's teammate. |
| Harry | Secor | Joe's friend. |
| Dr. Loyal | Shoudy | Prominent and fanatically loyal in Washington Alumnus. |
| Enid | Simdars | Joyce's mother. |
| Joyce | Simdars | A girl who was devoted to Joe. |
| Charles | Smith | The Washington's mayor. |
| Albert | Speer | Hitler's chief architect. |
| Ed | Stanley | Kansas City AP Bureau Chief. |
| Henry | Stanley | A journalist. |
| Mrs. | Tellwright | Joyce's employer. |
| Frederick | The Great | The King of Prussia. |
| Willis | Thompson | A freshman who attempts to start a bonfire for a rally. |
| Gene | Tunney | Jack's rival. |
| Richard | Tyler | Dean of Engineering at the University of Washington. |
| Alvin | Ulbrickson | Head coach of the University of Washington Rowing Program. |
| Edo | Vanni | The manager of the Rainiers. |
| George | Varnell | An American Olympic athlete. |
| Henry | Wallace | The secretary of agriculture. |
| Don | Walling | University of Washington's stroke oar. |
| Emmett | Watson | A legendary Seattle Scribe. |
| Johnny | White | A freshman crew at the University of Washington. |
| Maimie | White | Johnny's mother. |
| Johnny | White Sr. | Johnny's father. |
| Kaiser | Wilhelm II | A man who built a summer pavilion in Grunau. |
| Wink | Winslow | Ulbrickson's coxswain. |
| George A. | Wyman | First person to motorcycle from New
York to San Francisco. |
