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Brown University Rowing

Founded: 1857

First Season: 1859

Head Coach: Paul Cooke

Home Course: Seeconk River

Location: Providence, RI

Conference: Ivy League

IRA Championship Titles (Men): ’70 ’79 ’81 ’83 ’86 ’87 ’92 ’93 ’94 ’95 ’99 ’00

Ivy League Champions (Men)1: '72 '84 '87 '93 '94 '00 '08 '09

IRA Championship Titles (Women)1: ’93 ’94 ’96

National Champions (Women)1: ’96 ’99 ’00 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’06 ’08

Olympic Rowers: 40

History

The Brown rowing team was organized on June 4, 1857 and is the oldest organized intercollegiate sport at Brown University. Occasionally referred to as the Brown Navy, the University Boat Club played host to the original Brown rowers and their six-oared, 44 foot long boat The Atalanta. Throughout the early years Brown competed relatively successfully against other intercollegiate programs in the United States, however, interest in Brown crew fluctuated until 1886 when the university ran out of money to support baseball and crew. Since its revival in 1949, the Brown University rowing program has become one of the most successful collegiate rowing programs in the world, boasting men’s and women’s national titles, as well as championship titles at the world-famous Henley Royal Regatta in London, England. In addition, the program has produced 32 Olympic rowers.

Men’s Crew

The Early Years (1857-1886)

“...She was there received by the club, borne to the water’s edge and launched on the waves of Narragansett Bay with enthusiastic demonstrations from an assembled crowd.” –	The Brown Paper, September 11, 1857 Brown rowing was founded June 4, 1857 with the establishment of the University Boat Club, and consisted of a single six-oar shell, The Atalanta. Described as “a cumbersome lap-streak, weighing three or four hundred pounds,”6 the shell only competed once, in a race on July 27, 1859 against Harvard and Yale at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, MA. Because the boat weighed almost 150 pounds more than the Harvard and Yale boats, Brown lost the race, finishing over five minutes behind the victorious Harvard crew. It was not until eleven years later, on June 17, 1860, that Brown redeemed itself against Harvard and Yale, and won its first and only race between 1857 and 1950. In a spectacular series of events, Brown recovered from a collision with an Amherst boat, executed a pristine turn, and overtook Yale and Harvard to win by six lengths. However, after that 1860 race, the tides did not change much throughout the next 26 years, suffering defeat after defeat, mishap after mishap; on November 8, 1874 the college boathouse caught fire and burned down, the Club was almost constantly in debt, and interest in the program fluctuated so much that often times there were not enough oarsmen to fill a boat. By1886, the university had given up crew in favor of directing athletic funds towards baseball.

The Revival (1947-1949)

The topic of Brown crew was brought up off and on for many years, however, 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. Then 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

It was a long road to recognition following the re-establishment of crew at Brown University. A handful of victories in 1951, ’52, and ’53 brought the team some attention, however, it was not until Gordon “Whitey” Helander took the reigns in 1958 that the program found glory. 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 season. In 1960, the undefeated team entered Olympic trials. Although it lost out in the second heat, this Brown crew, previously dubbed “The Orphans of the Seekonk,” was re-christened “The Cinderella Crew.” Following the 1961 season, in which the crew boasted 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 heavyweight eight championships. To finish it off, they captured the Ladies’ Plate at the Royal Henley 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 reputation as one of the most formidable rowing schools in the nation. The 2007-2008 team captured an Ivy League Championship title as well as a top-10 finish in the IRA Regatta. In 2008-2009, Brown documented a historic season, finishing second in the Champ 8 at the Head of the Charles, sweeping the heavyweight events at Eastern Sprints, placing third overall at Nationals, and capturing the Ladies’ Plate Challenge Cup at the Henley Royal Regatta in London, England.

The Seekonk

The Seekonk River is the home course of the Brown University Rowing team. Considered to be one of the tougher courses in the Ivy League, the Seekonk is known for its difficult rowing conditions, particularly heavy wind and waves, as well as a strong current. Many have attributed Brown’s rowing success in part to the harsh conditions in which the team often practices.