New Documentary Celebrates History of Morgan State Swimming
A new documentary premiering this week celebrates the history of Morgan State’s swimming and diving program.
The film, “Against the Tide The Story of the Morgan State Swimming Program,” is being produced by former members of the team. It recounts the run from 1952 to 1976 in which the program won eight Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) titles.
The documentary stemmed from a meeting of swimming alumni in September 2025 when the team was inducted to the school’s athletic hall of fame.
“People don’t know this story,” said Greg Jones, a producer and the vice chairperson of Morgan Legacy Swimmers. “They don’t know about the eight championships. They don’t know that everybody had to take swimming.”
The trailer is available here:
Morgan State is a historically Black college and university (HBCU) based in Baltimore. It no longer sponsors swimming for men or women, with the program discontinued in the mid-1970s due to budget cuts at the school. The run of championships began with outstanding teams in the 1950s and continued into the 1970s.
“The history of it just grabbed me, and as I began to look at it, I said, ‘Man, we need to talk about this. We need to celebrate this,’” said David Thomas, co-chairperson of Morgan Legacy Swimmers and a member of Morgan State’s 1972 swim team. “One of the reasons why we are so adamant about this is because the program no longer exists. One of the things we want to do as a group is promote and advocate for any type of aquatic program that we can.”
The group behind the documentary held a screening on campus on Wednesday.