The present day Raider program is a merger of the great competitive tradition of the Dayton Dolphins, founded by Coach Mac Preston at Wright-Patterson AFB, and the young enthusiastic spirit of the Wright State Raiders founded at Wright State University in 1978. The merger took place in 1981 with the new team carrying the name DAYTON RAIDERS as a symbol of the best of both programs and a new drive toward national prominence and recognition.

The winning tradition of the Dayton Raiders continues today is due to the excellence and dedication of all our great swimmers and coaches over the past 50 years.  The present team would like to reach out and reconnect with our former coaches and athletes -- from both the Dayton Dolphins and the Dayton Raiders. 

The DAYTON DOLPHINS and RAIDERS have had many great swimmers as part of our team. One of the more prominent swimmers is Mrs Renee Laravie Kelly, a Dayton Dolphin/Raider was a US Olympian that swam on the 1976 USA team.  If you are out there and see this site please contact us we would really like to hear from you!

Renee Laravie Kelly ’77 Renee is an Alter HS graduate who has competed in the Olympics. She was a member of the ’76 Olympic swim team, specializing in the breaststroke and ranking among the top 25 women in the world. She received a swimming scholarship to the University of Florida and broke the American record in the 200 IM at nationals. She competed for the United States internationally at the Hopewell Games in Israel and in Germany in ’77, and in the Pan Am Games in Puerto Rico in ’78. Named Athlete of the Year at the University of Florida during her sophomore year, Renee also received the Broderick Award for College Swimmer of the Year in ’78. She is a member of the University of Florida Hall of Fame and currently is a firefighter/paramedic with the Ft. Lauderdale Fire Department.