Sylvia Groomes

Coach Sylvia Groomes, a native of Cooksville in Howard County, Maryland, made history as one of two Black students who integrated the Howard County School System while attending Glenelg Junior-Senior High School. Her journey as a trailblazer continued at Howard University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and Health Education in 1969 and performed in the “Nifty Fifty” HU Marching Band. She later earned an M.A. in Administration of Health and Physical Education from the University of Maryland and, in 1990, an M.B.A. in Business Administration from Averett University.

Coach Groomes began her professional career at Cardozo High School in Washington, D.C., where she taught from 1969 to 1979 and coached the girls’ basketball team to the 1974 Inter-High Championship. Her commitment to expanding opportunities for young
women in athletics soon carried her back to Howard University, where, in 1975, she became the first head coach in the history of the university’s intercollegiate women’s basketball program. Over the next five years, she laid the foundation for a competitive program, led Howard to an intercollegiate tournament victory against local universities—including American and Catholic—and initiated scholarship funding and recruitment efforts for women’s basketball.

Her legacy has been recognized through numerous honors, including induction into the Glenelg High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005 for her achievements in field hockey and basketball; the Howard County Women’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007; Cardozo’s All-Met Hall of Fame in 2017; and, most recently, recognition as a 2025 DMV Legends Award honoree through Athletes in Action.

Today, Coach Groomes continues to contribute her expertise as an EEO investigator and consultant while enjoying semi-retirement.