SWIMMING
Donald JACKSON, Tennessee State
Tennessee State All-Americans
Bell, Clarence
Bradford, Bruce
Featherstone, James
Gainor, Stanley
Jackson, Donald
James, Clyde
Jones, Leroy
Clyde JAMES, Tennessee State
Morgan State All-Americans
Baker, Allen
Cooper, Eddie
Sweet, Paul
Hampton Institute All-Americans
Gail Bond
Arthur Armstrong
Champions Gallery
Tennessee State
1950-54 National Champions
Morgan State
1955 CIAA Swim/Diving
Morgan State
1970-71 CIAA Champions
Morgan State
1971-72 MEAC Champions
Alabama A&M
1983 SWAC Champions
List incomplete.
Into the Deep (cont'd)
In the 1950′ s, the District of Columbia began to shift in ethnicity majority as many migrant blacks and educators settled in the capital city.
Central High School, once predominately white, was renamed Cardozo High School and its indoor swimming pool was open to African Americans.
Before then, the only indoor pools available to African Americans were at Dunbar High School and the 12th St. YMCA.
Hughes became the first swimming coach at Tennessee State A&I and led them to the Black College National Championships from 1950-54.
He produced top swimmers like Stanley Gainor, Clarence Bell, Bruce Bradford, James Featherstone, and Leroy Jones.
In 1947, Hughes was instrumental in helping to form the Colored Intercollegiate Athletic Association (Now CIAA) Swimming League with John H. Burr and Thomas Johnson of Howard University, and Sylvius “Sid” Moore of Hampton Institute.
Moore served as swimming coach at Hampton Institute from 1943 until 1985. He led the Pirates to seven CIAA swimming championships and coached more than 1,000 collegiate swimmers, including Gail Bond and
Arthur Armstrong, the first African-American age group swimmers to break a Virginia state record.
From 1958-76, the Morehouse College men’s swimming team won 255 contests with only 25 losses between 1958-76, capturing 15 SIAC championships. The program was discontinued in 1976.
In 1969, Moore created a women’s competitive swimming program and was one of four vice-presidents of the Virginia State Amateur Athletic Union in 1975.
In 1977, the Sylvius S. Moore Invitational Swim Meet was created to celebrate his 50-plus years in aquatics.
Moore is a member of the Swimming Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C.
The Morgan State Golden Bears won the 1955 CIAA Champion Swimming and Diving Team under Coach Stewart A. Brooks.
Head coach James Mack led them to their best era from 1971-76a when they won dual championships: the 1970-71 CIAA Swimming and Diving competition and the inaugural MEAC title in 1971-72.