for many years, but there was concern that a revival of crew would draw too heavily from the pool of track athletes and might also create a heavy financial burden on the university. In 1947, two former prep-school oarsmen, James Donaldson and Harlan Bartlett, began to rebuild the program. With ten other students who had previous experience in rowing, the twelve oarsmen bought an old eight-oared shell from St. Andrew's School in Delaware for $100. With their new boat, rented boat space at the Narragansett Boat Club, and volunteer coach, Robert O. Reed, the crew began practicing on the Seekonk River. "The Cinderella Crew": Brown gains recognition In 1951, ’52, and ’53, a handful of victories brought the team some attention, but it was not until Gordon "Whitey" Helander took the reins in 1959 that the program gained recognition. At the time Helander was a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. Under his coaching, Brown won the Dad Vail Regatta in 1959, 1960, and 1961, with an undefeated 1960 regular season. In 1960, the undefeated team entered the IRA, finishing fourth and the Olympic trials. This Brown crew, previously dubbed "The Orphans of the Seekonk", was re-christened "The Cinderella Crew" and Brown announced it was recognizing crew that fall. Following the 1961 season, in which the crew posted a 5–1 record, fifth at Eastern Sprints, and seventh in the IRA, rowing became an officially recognized and supported intercollegiate sport at Brown University. That August, Brown crew hired its first full-time coach, Victor H. Michalson, and in 1962 it became a regular member of the Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges. "We Are the Champions" (1993–1995) In 1993, the Brown crew team had a perfect season. The eight-man crew consisted of Igor Boraska, Paul DiGiacomo, David Filippone, Gus Koven, Jamie Koven, Xeno Muller, Tony Padula, Chris Sahs, and coxswain Brian Madden. The team went undefeated, won the Eastern Sprints, the IRA (Intercollegiate Rowing Association) Championships, and the National Collegiate Rowing Championships. To finish it off, they captured the Ladies' Plate at the Henley Royal Regatta on July 4. Five of the eight members of the team went on to represent their respective countries in the Olympics. The Cooke era (1996–present) In 1996, Paul Cooke was named head coach of the freshman team, and in 2002 became the head coach of the varsity team. Under Cooke, the Bears have maintained their