NORMAL, Ala. – The Alabama A&M University Lady Sea Dogs swimming program, a pioneering force in collegiate athletics, continues to be celebrated for its legacy of success and its impact on Black representation in a historically white-dominated sport. The program, which began as an intramural men’s team, evolved into a full NCAA Division II program within the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) with the addition of a women’s team, achieving national recognition in the 1980s.
Sandra Lyles-Jackson holds the distinction of being the first scholarship athlete for the Lady Sea Dogs as an NCAA program. Reflecting on the program’s early days, Lyles-Jackson recalled the support she received from the initial men’s team. “The young men had said, hey, Doc has a baby sister,” she said, referring to Coach Freddie Wyckoff. “And they were really nice to me. They were seniors. And then, they graduated. And then Doc decided to recruit an all-female team.”
Coach Wyckoff, known affectionately as “Doc,” strategically recruited talented swimmers from major cities including Chicago, Philadelphia, and Atlanta, building a team that challenged conventional norms. This recruitment effort created a unique and competitive environment in Normal, Alabama.
Former Lady Sea Dogs swimmer Dana Jones described the team as a groundbreaking presence. “People recognized it,” Jones said. “You know, you’re on a swim team. We were like the unicorn, I guess you could say, black swimmers. And that everybody on the team was solid, you know, to the degree that we knew, looking at each other, that we were all really great swimmers, have been swimming competitively for years, like since childhood.”
The team fostered a strong sense of camaraderie and support, often described as a sisterhood. Kim Woodberry, another former swimmer, reminisced about the shared experiences that bonded the team. “We had so much fun. From getting up early morning, suffering together. We had to walk across that bridge from Terry Hall in the freezing cold in the morning. Together, we made up songs, suffered together in the evening, going up. But we had fun from the morning until the late evening,” Woodberry said. “In the dorm, out of the dorm, on road trip. It was a great sisterhood.”
Under Coach Wyckoff’s leadership, the Lady Sea Dogs achieved significant success, securing six Black national swimming and diving championships between 1982 and 1987. Sharonne Jones-Jamar, a former swimmer, emphasized the supportive environment created by Wyckoff. “I just felt like, from the beginning, Doc made it really comfortable for us,” she said. “So, I’ve always been a member of a swim team. So, coming in and joining a new team was nothing new for me. But it was just fun. Just meeting new people, new swimmers. And like I said, just being an all-black female team at the time. And just being able to swim in a D-1 setting for us was very good and very exciting.”
Freddie Wyckoff Jr. Passed away in 2024, leaving behind a lasting legacy at Alabama A&M. Lyles-Jackson expressed her deep sense of loss, stating, “We were his daughters. So, I miss Doc Wyckoff. I really missed him. He was a phenomenal coach, a mentor and a friend.”
Lyles-Jackson, inducted into the Alabama A&M Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000, continues to work at Redstone Arsenal as an installation management specialist. She joins other Redstone Arsenal employees inducted into the Hall of Fame, including those recognized in 2013.
