Before the 2025-26 school year kicked off, the Baltimore Ravens and Michael Phelps changed a typical Tuesday at Loyola into a memorable summer day for those on the Evergreen campus. On Aug. 12, the Ravens, Phelps, the Michael Phelps Foundation, and 10 members of the Boys and Girls Club of Baltimore visited the Loyola Fitness and Aquatic Center (FAC).
Phelps’ goal that day was to give swimming lessons to the professional athletes and kids at the FAC. This visit was not the first time that people of this reputation have visited Loyola’s campus, and when it does happen, it is special.
But why did they come to Loyola in the first place?
On July 29, Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey posted a video on his Instagram of himself and teammates Ronnie Stanley, Kyle Hamilton, and Charlie Kolar in a pool at the Ravens training facility. The video was directed to Michael Phelps, the 23-time Olympic gold medalist, Baltimore native, and arguably greatest swimmer ever. The players relayed to Phelps how roughly one in every three Ravens cannot swim and stated that Phelps should visit their facility to teach them how to swim.
Phelps commented on the video saying he would do so. The only thing that changed was that he would not only visit them at the Ravens training facility, but also at Loyola University Maryland.
There were several students and staff members present at the FAC awaiting the arrival of the Ravens, Phelps, and the other accompanying parties on Aug. 12. However, not everyone knew that beforehand.
“So, we were supposed to be there as lifeguards. We didn’t really know what we were going into. We were just told that we were working a special event, and we couldn’t know what it was,” Maeve Brandenburg ’28 said.
Brandenburg, who was at the FAC that day, continued about how she and other students showed up as scheduled, as lifeguards. But once they all arrived, they realized that they were not lifeguarding their everyday guests.
“We were told that they needed more people in the pool with the Ravens… to help teach them, as well as the younger kids who were learning to swim through the foundation. So, me and Alina (Zavala ‘27) actually were able to get in the pool… We were hopping in right with the Ravens, just teaching them the skills,” Brandenburg said.
Zavala said how cool it was when Phelps went in the pool and warmed up, and how they were lifeguarding his warm-up.
“It was kind of funny because he just hit a couple laps, and I was like, that’s cool. All the kids were super enthusiastic about it, and so were the players. Like there were a few of them that really wanted pointers, really wanted to learn,” Zavala said.
She also mentioned the competitiveness that the Ravens players had with one another, trying to race when they could and throwing themselves off the diving board while having a fun time learning from the staff.
Loyola’s FAC hosting the Ravens, Phelps and his foundation, and kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Baltimore is a testament to the help that the facility gives the Baltimore community.
Since 2008, the Michael Phelps Foundation has helped kids and adults swim safely. Both drowning and inability to swim are two challenges the foundation continues to tackle.
According to The Today Show, the leading cause of death for kids under four is drowning, which is also the second leading cause of death for kids aged five to 14. Forty million adults in the United States do not know how to swim.
For many, it means a lot to see Ravens players, some of the most athletic people in the world, put themselves in this unfamiliar situation and be vulnerable. It shows that even though not all of them know how to swim, they are still willing to learn that new skill, even at a later stage in their life.
“I think it was awesome for them to show how vulnerable they are to especially the younger children that are there in-person as well as watching on TV, just to like show that you can try new stuff at any age, and it’s always a great skill to have to pick up swimming because it could save a life someday,” Brandenburg said.
“It was really sweet the way that the kids looked up to [the Ravens players]. It almost felt like there was a level of reassurance between the kids and the players that they had that ability to experience it together,” Zavala said.
Phelps mentioned how before he was a professional swimmer, he was even afraid to put his face in the water. He acknowledged how this feeling is completely normal, but that you naturally overcome these fears based on your confidence and your comfort level in the pool.
“[Everyone should] become more vulnerable. I think that is something a lot of people are afraid of. Jump right in, literally jump in, come jump in [the pool] with me,” Phelps said.
“We think it’s a life-long skill that everyone should have, and we want our teammates to have that skill, and maybe it’ll save someone’s life one day,” Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley said.
Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said that for those growing up in the inner city, the lack of pools makes it difficult for people to learn how to swim. He gave examples of how living near a country club or by the coast makes it easier to use the nearby resources to learn how to swim.
Phelps teaching both the Ravens and the kids from the Boys and Girls Club in Baltimore how to swim is one example of his commitment to helping his home community. His continued care for Baltimore is heavily recognized.
“[Phelps] being from around this area, that’s just awesome for him to come back [to Baltimore], even though he’s been around the world… Like, he still knows his roots,” Brandenburg said.
Zavala, a Baltimore native, said she feels almost lucky to see Phelps’ impact since his helpfulness towards Baltimore is such a close community impact for her.
“It’s cool to see that not only is this me and my school, but this is me and the community around me. And it also makes me realize that it’s really such a privilege to know how to swim because I know it severely affects the Baltimore region that people don’t know how to swim,” Zavala said.
When the day concluded, Ravens President Sashi Brown told Phelps that the Ravens donated $100,000 to his foundation, further strengthening its initiative to advocate for water safety for everyone.
Overall, the experience was a memorable one for many. Brandenburg and Zavala were asked to give a few words to describe that day.
“[It was] kind of weird. Like it was really cool. It was like, wait, this is the FAC. Like, I mean, it’s here. Like, that’s awesome, but, like, this doesn’t make sense,” Zavala said.
“It was a crazy crossover, I would say,” Brandenburg said.
“It was like a big Baltimore crossover episode,” Zavala said.
Zavala recounted other times that influential figures have visited the Loyola FAC in the past, such as when NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal visited in 2009 for his reality show ‘Shaq Vs.’ to do a swimming race with Michael Phelps.
Phelps has previously practiced swimming at the FAC, with several of his record times still standing high on the Aquatic Center’s leaderboard.
The continued visits from important local figures demonstrate the high involvement that Loyola has with the Baltimore community. The university’s campus is always looking forward to seeing who will visit next.
