Athletics
Mar 31, 2026
At Wiley University, history is not only remembered — it is made.
During Women’s History Month, Wiley University is celebrating a bold and transformational new chapter in its athletic legacy with the addition of Women’s Flag Football — a move that expands opportunity for women student-athletes and reflects the institution’s continued commitment to growth, equity, and innovation.
For generations, football has been viewed as a sport shaped by tradition and dominated by men. But Wiley University is helping redefine that narrative by creating space for more women to see themselves on the field, in the spotlight, and in the future of the game.
Recruiting for the inaugural Women’s Flag Football team begins immediately, with the program expected to reach full varsity status by the 2027–28 season. With this addition, Wiley University Athletics now offers 19 total programs, including a record 10 women’s sports — the most in University history.
“This is about more than adding another sport,” said Darrius Brooks, Ph.D., Director of Athletics at Wiley University. “It is about creating new pathways for women, meeting the moment of a growing national movement, and ensuring our students have access to opportunities that reflect both their interests and their potential.”
The announcement, made during a recent chapel service, sparked excitement across campus. For many students, it was more than just news of a new sport. It was an invitation — a signal that there is room at Wiley University to dream bigger, compete boldly, and step into spaces they may have never imagined for themselves.
For sophomore Kori Bacon, a Seattle Seahawks fan and former junior varsity basketball player, the announcement felt like the opening of a door she had not realized was possible.
“I never thought I would get to play competitively,” Bacon said. “I’ve been looking for a new challenge, and as soon as I heard the news, I knew I wanted to be part of it.”
For Bacon, the addition of Women’s Flag Football represents more than just a new athletic option. It represents possibility. It offers women the chance to step into a space traditionally reserved for men and prove that they belong there just as much.
“I think it will prove women can contribute as much as men do,” Bacon said. “This gives women the opportunity to eventually make a living in the sport they love.”
That sense of opportunity is part of what makes this moment so meaningful. During Women’s History Month, Wiley University is not simply adding another sport — it is investing in a future where women athletes are seen, supported, and encouraged to pursue their passions boldly.
For sophomore Tamara Dilworth, that moment carried both personal meaning and powerful possibility.
Dilworth said she was inspired to be part of Women’s Flag Football because she saw an opportunity to help create something new and empowering for female athletes. For her, the sport is not just about competition. It is about visibility, growth, and helping build a foundation that did not exist before.
“Having the opportunity to help build women’s flag football at Wiley University means being part of something bigger than myself,” Dilworth said. “It gives me the chance to help create new opportunities for women to compete, grow, and showcase their talent. It also means helping build a program from the ground up and leaving a legacy for future athletes.”
That sense of legacy matters.
For Dilworth, football is also deeply connected to her own journey. Growing up, she often practiced with her brother when he played in middle school. What may have once seemed like small moments at home now feel like preparation for something much greater. The skills she learned then are the very skills she now hopes to bring to the field as part of Wiley University’s inaugural team.
Why football? For Dilworth, the answer is simple and honest: it gives her a chance to use the skills she has carried with her and finally let them be seen.
Her experience in sports has not always been easy. Like many women athletes, she knows what it feels like to work hard and still be overlooked. A basketball player as well, Dilworth shared that athletics has taught her a difficult but important lesson: even when you give your all, recognition does not always come easily. Still, rather than allowing that reality to discourage her, she has chosen to let it fuel her next chapter.
“Sometimes when you’ve been in the same place for a while, you realize it’s time to move up,” Dilworth said.
That mindset — resilient, reflective, and forward-looking — makes this moment especially powerful during Women’s History Month.
For Dilworth, being part of this new program represents more than joining a team. It represents progress. It represents opportunity. It represents the continued breaking of barriers for women in sports.
“As a woman in sports, this moment represents progress, opportunity, and empowerment,” Dilworth said. “It reflects how far women have come in athletics and highlights the importance of continuing to create spaces for female athletes to grow and succeed.”
She also understands that this moment is not hers alone. It belongs to the women who came before her, the young girls watching now, and the future student-athletes who will one day walk onto Wiley University’s campus because this program exists.
“Being part of building women’s flag football at Wiley University makes this moment even more meaningful because it shows that women are not just participating in sports, but also helping shape the future of them,” she said. “It represents breaking barriers and inspiring the next generation of young women to pursue their goals with confidence.”
Off the field, Dilworth is a Physical Education major with aspirations of teaching and coaching. Her love for athletics extends beyond her own participation. She wants to pour into others, helping young people discover confidence, discipline, and possibility through sports — just as she has.
Sports, she said, have helped shape her confidence, leadership, and discipline. They have taught her to trust her abilities, push past self-doubt, and keep showing up even when the path is uncertain.
Her hopes for the future of women’s sports are both practical and profound. She wants women’s flag football to open doors — to create real opportunities for growth, scholarships, and exposure. More than that, she hopes it pushes women beyond their comfort zones and reminds them they are capable of more than they may realize.
“I hope it really gives women opportunities to grow and get scholarships,” Dilworth said. “I hope it helps women step out of their comfort zone.”
That same spirit is reflected in Bacon’s excitement for the program. For her, this team is a chance to embrace a new challenge, compete in a meaningful way, and be part of a program that shows young women they can belong in football too.
That hope sits at the heart of Wiley University’s decision to launch the program.
As women continue to break barriers in athletics — and specifically in football — Wiley University’s launch of Women’s Flag Football places the institution firmly within a rising national movement. Across the country, the sport is gaining momentum at the collegiate level and increasingly creating new pipelines for women athletes. Wiley University becomes the third school in the HBCU Athletic Conference to adopt the sport, joining Stillman College and Wilberforce University.
The timing is significant. Women are increasingly reshaping the football world — from athletes like Toni Harris, the first woman to earn a non-kicking football scholarship, to leaders like Autumn Lockwood, who became the first Black woman to coach in a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. Wiley University’s newest program builds on that momentum while creating a direct pathway for its own students to be part of the future of the sport.
At its core, this story is about student success, institutional vision, and the power of intentional opportunity. It is about Wiley University continuing to invest in experiences that empower students to lead, compete, and thrive. It is about what happens when an institution does more than talk about equity — it acts on it.
And during Women’s History Month, it serves as a powerful reminder: when institutions intentionally create space, women do not just participate — they excel, they lead, and they leave a legacy.
For Dilworth, that legacy is already beginning.
“I want to remember this first chapter of women’s flag football at Wiley University as the beginning of something special,” she said. “It represents hard work, determination, and the courage to start something new. Being part of the first group means we are helping set the standard and build a foundation for future athletes.”
For Bacon, that first chapter is just as powerful. It is a chance to be part of history, to step into something new, and to help show that women have just as much to offer the game.
As Wiley University continues to expand its athletic footprint, Women’s Flag Football stands as both a celebration of progress and a promise for the future — one shaped by courage, possibility, and the women bold enough to step forward first.
For more information about the Women’s Flag Football program, contact Darrius Brooks, Ph.D., Director of Athletics, at darbrooks@wileyc.edu or 903-927-3294.
For more information about Wiley University Athletics, visit www.wileyathletics.com.
For media inquiries, contact Catherine Sellers, Executive Director of Marketing, Communications and Brand Management, at csellers@wileyc.edu or 903-927-3386.
