In 1970, under the guidance of University President Earl Rudder, women were admitted to attend the once all-military school Texas A&M.
Vicki Brown became determined to make her mark at the University.
"My dad and I were walking, and I could show you the tree today where I told my dad, 'This is where I'm going to go to college'.
"His retort was, 'They don't even allow women in here'. And I said, 'That's okay, I'll be the first'. And he said, 'What about your swimming?'Â
"And I said, 'Well, by the time I get here, I'll be the first'."
Not long after, Vicki was accepted as one of the first women student-athletes at Texas A&M to receive an athletic scholarship. She soon realized getting in was going to be half the battle.
"I went to sign up for classes and she says, 'Well, these are the classes that you're going to take'. And I said, 'Well, I have to have an athletic block'. And she stopped and she leaned over and she says, 'They're allowing women on the football team?'
"I said, 'No ma'am, I'm on the women's swimming team'."
"We were an oddity, an extreme oddity as far as women athletes. So we supported each other and that's the same thing with women's athletics. We were the ones sitting in the stands at the volleyball, basketball, badminton... whatever sport A&M had for women, the other women's teams would participate."
Never having women's athletics on campus before, the women athletes quickly learned that they would have to earn their way to be able to compete.
"They told us we didn't have enough money to go to nationals my freshman year, that spring of '75. We would have to go and clean Kyle Field. But it'd be the water polo players, which were really the swimmers also, and then we get up in the morning and...we would clean all of that for monies to travel.
"God bless me, I was graduated before the third deck was built."
During her time at A&M, Vicki earned All-American honors and was named team captain in 1978. She also participated in numerous on campus organizations, including the beginning years of Fish Camp.
"Debbie Starr and I were captains of the swimming team as well as water polo team. That's of course a huge honor when your teammates see you in that position, so you don't want to disappoint. You want to be all that you can be."
Her tenacious attitude was resonated to women athletes at Texas A&M, where she has set the bar for former student-athletes. Brown founded the Aggie Professional Forum with over 2,000 members and was elected as the first woman President of the Texas A&M Lettermen's Association in 1990.
Vicki is proud of the legacy she left at A&M and hopeful for the future of women's athletics.
"I would leave every woman athlete as well as every woman at A&M (with this). You're a woman first. You've got tenacity. Stay strong and always be who you are."
Vicki Brown became determined to make her mark at the University.
"My dad and I were walking, and I could show you the tree today where I told my dad, 'This is where I'm going to go to college'.
"His retort was, 'They don't even allow women in here'. And I said, 'That's okay, I'll be the first'. And he said, 'What about your swimming?'Â
"And I said, 'Well, by the time I get here, I'll be the first'."
The remarkable journey of @aggieswimdive's Vicki Brown-Sobecki '78, the first female scholarship athlete at @TAMU.
— Texas A&M Athletics (@12thMan) March 15, 2019
Thanks to her legacy, and those that came after, the Aggies boast one of the strongest women's sports programs in the nation.#WomensHistoryMonth #GigEm pic.twitter.com/VdIEd3MVvg
Not long after, Vicki was accepted as one of the first women student-athletes at Texas A&M to receive an athletic scholarship. She soon realized getting in was going to be half the battle.
"I went to sign up for classes and she says, 'Well, these are the classes that you're going to take'. And I said, 'Well, I have to have an athletic block'. And she stopped and she leaned over and she says, 'They're allowing women on the football team?'
"I said, 'No ma'am, I'm on the women's swimming team'."
"We were an oddity, an extreme oddity as far as women athletes. So we supported each other and that's the same thing with women's athletics. We were the ones sitting in the stands at the volleyball, basketball, badminton... whatever sport A&M had for women, the other women's teams would participate."
Never having women's athletics on campus before, the women athletes quickly learned that they would have to earn their way to be able to compete.
"They told us we didn't have enough money to go to nationals my freshman year, that spring of '75. We would have to go and clean Kyle Field. But it'd be the water polo players, which were really the swimmers also, and then we get up in the morning and...we would clean all of that for monies to travel.
"God bless me, I was graduated before the third deck was built."
During her time at A&M, Vicki earned All-American honors and was named team captain in 1978. She also participated in numerous on campus organizations, including the beginning years of Fish Camp.
"Debbie Starr and I were captains of the swimming team as well as water polo team. That's of course a huge honor when your teammates see you in that position, so you don't want to disappoint. You want to be all that you can be."
Her tenacious attitude was resonated to women athletes at Texas A&M, where she has set the bar for former student-athletes. Brown founded the Aggie Professional Forum with over 2,000 members and was elected as the first woman President of the Texas A&M Lettermen's Association in 1990.
Vicki is proud of the legacy she left at A&M and hopeful for the future of women's athletics.
"I would leave every woman athlete as well as every woman at A&M (with this). You're a woman first. You've got tenacity. Stay strong and always be who you are."