American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
and
Canadian football
Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...
) is a form of the sport played by women. Most leagues in the United States, such as the
Women's Football Alliance
The Women's Football Alliance (WFA) is a professional full-contact Women's American football tackle minor league that began play in 2009. It is the largest 11-on-11 football league for women in the world, and the longest running active women's ...
, play by rules similar to men's tackle football. Although women's
flag football
Flag football is a variant of American football where, instead of tackling players to the ground, the defensive team must remove a flag or flag belt from the ball carrier ("deflagging") to end a Down (gridiron football), down. The sport has a ...
is emerging as a collegiate sport, women playing gridiron football at the college level have historically joined men's teams, often (though not exclusively) as placekickers.
The following is a list of some of the most notable
female
Female (Venus symbol, symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ovum, ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the Sperm, male gamete during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gamet ...
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
players.
Players in predominantly male football leagues
*
Patricia Palinkas
Patricia Palinkas (née Barczi, born 1943) is credited as the first woman to play American football professionally in a league made predominantly of men. She was a holder for her husband Stephen Palinkas for the Orlando Panthers of the minor leag ...
– First woman to play
professional football
In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...
, debuting on August 15, 1970, as a holder for her placekicker husband on the
Orlando Panthers
The Orlando Panthers were a professional American football team based in Orlando, Florida. Founded in 1958 as the Franklin Miners, the team spent its first four years in the Eastern Football Conference, then three further years in the Atlantic Coa ...
of the minor-league
Atlantic Coast Football League
The Atlantic Coast Football League (ACFL) was a professional american football minor league that operated from 1962 to 1973. Until 1969, many of its franchises had working agreements with NFL and AFL teams to serve as farm clubs. The league paid ...
. She played two games in the preseason but left after Steve Palinkas was injured and cut from the team.
* Abby Vestal – First woman to score points in a men's professional football game, kicking three out of four extra points on April 23, 2007, for the
Kansas Koyotes
The Kansas Koyotes, founded by Ralph Adams, were a professional indoor football and were a charter member of the Champions Professional Indoor Football League. Based in Topeka, Kansas, the Koyotes played their home games at Landon Arena.
The ...
of the indoor American Professional Football League, as a high school senior. She was replaced with a college kicker after her fourth game. Vestal went on to play women's tackle football for the
Kansas City Storm
The Kansas City Storm is a women's tackle football team based in Kansas City. The Storm was founded in 2004 and has been serving Kansas City area women since then with a mission to "provide a safe, positive and fun opportunity for women in Kansas ...
, but later became a rugby player.
*
Katie Hnida
Katharine Anne Hnida (; born May 17, 1981) is a former American football player who became the first woman to score in an National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I-A game, college football's highest level. She accomplished this as ...
– Placekicker for the Fort Wayne FireHawks of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) in 2010. She played in the first three games of the season, but developed a blood clot in her kicking leg. Hnida went on to become a kicker for the Colorado Cobras in the Colorado Football Conference, and for the KC Mustangs in the Interstate Football League. (See also "College players" below.)
* Julie Harshbarger – First woman to score a
field goal
A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
in a men's professional football game, as placekicker for the
Chicago Cardinals
The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons.
Roots ca ...
Chicago Blitz
The Chicago Blitz was a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s. They played at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.
Team history
The Blitz were one of the twelve charter franchis ...
Jennifer Welter
Jennifer Welter (born October 27, 1977) is an American football coach who is currently linebackers coach for the Vegas Vipers of the XFL (2020), XFL. She was a defensive coaching intern for the National Football League's 2015 Arizona Cardi ...
– First woman to play in a non-kicking or
skill position Skill positions in gridiron football are the positions that ordinarily handle the ball and are most responsible for scoring points. Offensive players such as quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers are typically considered skill positions, ...
in a men's professional football league, as running back for the Texas Revolution of the
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams am ...
in 2014. In 2015, Welter became the first female coach in a men's professional football league, after joining the coaching staff of the Revolution. That year, she also became the first female NFL coach as an intern with the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
, coaching inside linebackers at training camp and during the preseason.
Players in predominantly female football leagues
Players in traditional ("full pads") tackle football leagues.
1960s and 1970s
* Marcella Sanborn – Quarterback, Cleveland Daredevils (from 1967), called "the first true 'star' of women's football", playing for the first women's tackle football team. Named
Bud Collins
Arthur Worth "Bud" Collins Jr. (June 17, 1929 – March 4, 2016) was an American journalist and television sportscaster, best known for his tennis commentary. Collins was married to photographer Anita Ruthling Klaussen.
Education
Collins was b ...
's Athlete of the Year for 1967 in ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
''.
*
Linda Jefferson
Linda Jefferson was an American female professional football player in the 1970s.
Football career
Jefferson began playing for the Toledo Troopers in the National Women’s Football League (NWFL) in 1972 and became one of its top, most well-respec ...
– Halfback,
Toledo Troopers
The Toledo Troopers were a professional women's American football team based in Toledo, Ohio.
The Troopers began play in 1971 as a member of the Women's Professional Football League (WPFL), and later played in the National Women's Football Leag ...
(1972–1979), seven-time national champions ( WPFL, NWFL). One of only four women inducted into the American Football Association Hall of Fame. Named the 1975 Athlete of the Year by
womenSports
''womenSports'' magazine was the first magazine dedicated to women in sports. It was launched in close conjunction with Billie Jean King's Women's Sports Foundation and each issue of the magazine contained a two-page article written by the executi ...
, the first magazine dedicated exclusively to covering women in sports. Posted five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons rushing.
* Barbara Patton (football player), Barbara Patton – Linebacker, Los Angeles Dandelions (1973–1975). In 1974, Patton was featured in a nationally syndicated newspaper article ("Mom, 32, Tries Football"), as linebacker, PBX operator, and single mother of two children, including her son Marvcus, age 7. Throughout his career as an NFL linebacker, Marvcus Patton went on to frequently mention the influence of his mother Barbara as a former linebacker herself.
21st century
*
Callie Brownson
Callie Brownson (born October 15, 1989) is an American football coach and player who is the chief of staff for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). In September 2018, she became the first woman hired as a full-time NCAA Div ...
: Safety/running back, D.C. Divas (2010–2017). Two-time gold medalist for Team USA in the
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
Dartmouth Big Green football
The Dartmouth Big Green football team represents Dartmouth College in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) college football competition as a member of the Ivy League. The team possesses a storied tradition that includes a natio ...
team. Currently an assistant coach of the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
.
*Allison Cahill: Quarterback,
Boston Renegades (WFA)
The Boston Renegades are a tackle football team in the Women's Football Alliance. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the Renegades play their home games at Harry Della Russo Stadium in Revere, Massachusetts.
Formation
On January 5, 2015, three-tim ...
(2003, 2005–present). First quarterback in history to amass 100 career victories playing exclusively in women's football leagues.
* Sami Grisafe: Quarterback,
Chicago Force
The Chicago Force was a women's American football team. Founded in 2003 by Lisa Cole, the team played at De La Salle HS & St. Rita HS – both on Chicago's South side; Lane Stadium at Lane Technical College Prep High School, Holmgren Athletic Com ...
(2007–present). 2013 WFA National Champion and game MVP. Two-time gold medalist for Team USA in the
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
Miami Fury
The Miami Fury is a football team in the Women's Football Alliance. Based in Miami, Florida, the Fury plays its home games at Carter Park.
History
2000
The Fury was formed as a charter member of the Women's Professional Football League when it ...
(2000–2002), Florida Stingrays (2003). Television and radio sports reporter/commentator.
*
Yekaterina Pashkevich
Yekaterina Vladimirovna Pashkevich (russian: Екатерина Владимировна Пашкевич) (born December 19, 1972 in Moscow, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian SSR, Soviet Union) is a Russians, Russian ice hock ...
: Running back, New Hampshire Freedom (2002–2006) and Boston Rampage (2007). A charter member of Russia's first women's national hockey team. Olympian for Russian Federation women's hockey team (2002, 2006, 2014).
*
Natalie Randolph Natalie Randolph is the Director of Equity, Justice & Community at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC and former high school football coach. She served as the head football coach at Calvin Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C. from 2010 to ...
: Wide receiver, DC Divas (2004–2008). Became third ever female head coach a boys' high school football team in 2010. Recipient of the Women of Distinction Award from the
American Association of University Women
The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide network of 170,000 ...
in 2011.
*Phoebe Schecter: Defensive linebacker and captain of the Great Britain team. In 2015, Schecter led the GB team to the European Championship final against Finland. In 2017, she made headlines as a coaching intern with the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
in the NFL.
*
Sarah Schkeeper
Sarah Schkeeper is an American football Guard for the New York Sharks. Nicknamed "The Viking" because she wears braided pigtails in games, she joined the New York Sharks in 2009 as a rookie and has started in every career game. She was als ...
: Offensive guard,
New York Sharks
The New York Sharks were a women's American football team that was based in New York City. Their final season in 2018 was played as a member team of the Women's Football Alliance (WFA). They were the longest running and most winning team in women ...
Katie Sowers
Katie Sowers (born August 7, 1986) is an American football coach in the National Football League. She was the first openly gay and first female coach in Super Bowl history. Sowers began her American football career playing in the Women's Footbal ...
: Eight-year player in the
Women's Football Alliance
The Women's Football Alliance (WFA) is a professional full-contact Women's American football tackle minor league that began play in 2009. It is the largest 11-on-11 football league for women in the world, and the longest running active women's ...
and gold medalist for Team USA at the 2013 IFAF Women's World Championship. Later became the second female coach in NFL history, and the first to coach in a
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
.
*
Lei'D Tapa
Seini Draughn (née Tonga, born 27 November 1982) is a German-born Tongan American professional wrestler, professional wrestling valet, model, mixed martial artist and former women's American football player. Having been previously working for ...
: Linebacker, Carolina Queens (2007–2009). Professional wrestler and model.
*Donna Wilkinson: Running back/tight end, D.C. Divas (2001–present),
Los Angeles Amazons
The Los Angeles Amazons were a women's semi-professional American football team based in Los Angeles, California. A member of the Women's Football Alliance, the Amazons played their home games at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex.
The Amazons ...
(2000). In 2003, became first woman in modern era to rush for over 1,000 yards in an eight-game regular season. Two-time gold medalist for Team USA (
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
,
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
).
*
Alissa Wykes
Alissa Wykes (born ) is a former American football running back who played for the Philadelphia Liberty Belles of the National Women's Football Association. When she was playing, she was 5'6" tall, weighed 209 pounds, and was nicknamed "A-Train" b ...
: Running back,
Philadelphia Liberty Belles
The Philadelphia Liberty Belles are a team of the Women's Football Alliance which began play for its inaugural 2009 season. Home games are played on the campus of Wissahickon High School in Ambler, Pennsylvania.
The Liberty Belles are named in ...
. NWFA MVP in 2001. Came out as a lesbian in December/January 2002 edition of
Sports Illustrated for Women
''Sports Illustrated Women'' (previously called ''Sports Illustrated for Women'') and also known as ''SI Women'', was a bimonthly sports magazine covering (according to its statement of purpose) "the sports that women play and what they want to fo ...
.
*Whitney Zelee: Running back,
Boston Militia
The Boston Militia were a women's full-contact football team in the Women's Football Alliance of which they were two-time champions (2011, 2014). Previously, the Militia played in the Independent Women's Football League from 2008 until 2010, winnin ...
/ Renegades (2011–present). In 2013, eclipsed the 2,000-yard benchmark and set a new record of 2,128 rushing yards over an eight-game season, earning her conference MVP honors. Holds WFA record for most touchdowns in one game (8 vs D.C. Divas on May 18, 2013). Two-time WFA National Champion and game MVP (2011, 2014).
College players
Almost all of the women who have played on predominantly male college and professional football teams have done so by playing either the
placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter.
Spe ...
or holder positions. Both positions are rarely involved in the full contact present in American football.
Placekickers
*
Liz Heaston
Elizabeth Heaston Thompson (born 1977) is an American athlete who is the first woman ever to score in a college football game. She accomplished this feat on October 18, 1997 as a placekicker for the Willamette Bearcats football team of Willamette ...
– First woman to play and score in a
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
game
A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
, kicking two extra points on October 18, 1997, as a placekicker with the
Willamette Bearcats
The Willamette Bearcats are the athletic teams of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Competing at the non-scholarship National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division III, Division III level, the school fields twe ...
in the NAIA. A star soccer player, Heaston had been recruited as a replacement for the injured starting kicker, and had trained with the team for three weeks; she played in only one other football game for Willamette.
*
Ashley Martin
Ashley Martin (born c. 1981) is an American athlete who became the first woman to play and score in an NCAA Division I American football game, and one of the first ever to score points in any college football game. She accomplished this feat Aug ...
– Second female athlete to score in a college football
game
A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
, and the first to score in an
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division I game on August 30, 2001, as a placekicker for
Jacksonville State University
Jacksonville State University (JSU) is a public university in Jacksonville, Alabama. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in six academic schools leading to bachelor's degree, bachelor's, master's degree, master's, educati ...
. She kicked three extra points in a game against Cumberland University; JSU was then in
Division I-AA
The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic ...
, which later became known as FCS.
*
Katie Hnida
Katharine Anne Hnida (; born May 17, 1981) is a former American football player who became the first woman to score in an National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I-A game, college football's highest level. She accomplished this as ...
– First woman to score in an NCAA Division I-A football game on August 30, 2003, as a placekicker for the
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...
, kicking two points against Texas State University. (2-2 PATs, New Mexico vs. Texas State, August 30, 2003.) Also the first woman to appear in a
bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
, at the 2002 Las Vegas Bowl against UCLA, during which her extra point attempt was blocked. (See also "Players in predominantly male football leagues" above.)
* Tonya Butler – First woman to score a
field goal
A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
in an NCAA game on September 27, 2003, while playing for the University of West Alabama Tigers in Division II as a graduate student. By 2004, Butler had scored 87 career points, setting an NCAA record for a female kicker.
* Brittany Ryan – Scored 100 career points as placekicker for
Lebanon Valley College
Lebanon Valley College (LVC, Lebanon Valley, or The Valley) is a private college in Annville, Pennsylvania.
History
Lebanon Valley was founded on February 23, 1866, with classes beginning May 7 of that year and its first class graduating in 1870 ...
of NCAA Division III in 2010, breaking Tonya Butler's record for most career points scored by a female player in the NCAA.
* Sarah Fuller – First woman to play in a Power Five football game on November 28, 2020, after taking the opening kickoff of the second half for the
Vanderbilt Commodores football
The Vanderbilt Commodores football program represents Vanderbilt University in the sport of American football. The Commodores compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the East Divis ...
team who were playing Missouri. Fuller was a starting goalkeeper on the Vanderbilt women's soccer team, who had won the SEC Championship title the previous weekend; she tried out for the men's football team on the Monday before the game, because they were short of specialists due to
COVID-19 testing
COVID-19 testing involves analyzing samples to assess the current or past presence of SARS-CoV-2. The two main types of tests detect either the presence of the virus or antibodies produced in response to infection. Molecular tests for viral ...
, and needed a kicker. On December 12, 2020, Fuller became the first woman to score a point in a Power Five football game, after kicking an extra point in a Vanderbilt game against Tennessee.
* April Goss: Former college football placekicker at
Kent State University
Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in As ...
.
* KaLena "Beanie" Barnes: Former punter, and first woman to play on a top ten ranked Division I-A team, for the
University of Nebraska
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
.
Other positions
* Toni Harris – First woman to be offered a full college football scholarship, playing in a full-contact
skill position Skill positions in gridiron football are the positions that ordinarily handle the ball and are most responsible for scoring points. Offensive players such as quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers are typically considered skill positions, ...
. By the end of her community college career as
free safety
Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...
for
East Los Angeles Community College
East Los Angeles College (ELAC) is a public community college in Monterey Park, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. It is part of the California Community Colleges System and the Los Angeles Community College District. With fourteen communit ...
, Harris had received scholarship offers from six universities, and finally signed with
Central Methodist University
Central Methodist University (formerly known as Central Methodist College and also known as Central College or CMU) is a private university in Fayette, Missouri. CMU is accredited to offer masters, bachelors, and associate degrees. The school is ...
, an NAIA school. Harris was also the first female football player in a television ad aired during the Super Bowl, appearing in a commercial for
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
during
Super Bowl LIII
Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Confe ...
in February 2019. In February 2020, Harris appeared in an "NFL 100" commercial at the opening of
Super Bowl LIV
Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Conferenc ...
.
* Shelby Osborne: Became the first female to play a non-kicking position at a four-year college after signing in summer 2014 to play cornerback at
Campbellsville University
Campbellsville University (CU) is a private Christian university in Campbellsville, Kentucky. It was founded as Russell Creek Academy and enrolls more than 12,000 students. The university offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees.
In 2 ...
, an NAIA school.
* Sam Gordon: Running back, Salt Lake City. Her play in a youth football league led to her becoming the first female football player featured on a Wheaties box.
* Reina Iizuka: First woman to appear on a U Sports (Canadian) football roster; DB/LB for the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Luverne "Toad" Wise – First female player to score in an American football game, as a kicker for the Atmore (now Escambia County) Alabama High School Blue Devils in 1939; also played in 1940.
* Theresa Dion – First female player on a boys' high school varsity team in the state of Florida, when she played as a placekicker for Immaculate High School in
Key West
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...
, Florida, in 1972. Dion has been referred to as the first female player on a boys' high school varsity team (in any sport).
*
Tami Maida
Tami Maida was the groundbreaking junior varsity quarterback at Philomath High School in Philomath, Oregon. In 1981, she became the first known quarterback to also become homecoming princess. After a year at Philomath, she and her family moved ba ...
– First known quarterback to also a become homecoming princess, as a 14-year-old junior varsity quarterback at Philomath High School in
Philomath, Oregon
Philomath ( ) is a city in Benton County, Oregon, United States. It was named for Philomath (Greek, "love of learning") College. The population was 4,584 at the 2010 census and was most recently estimated in 2019 to have a population of 5,666. ...
, in 1981. Her story was the basis of the CBS movie ''Quarterback Princess'' starring
Helen Hunt
Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards.
Hunt rose to fame portraying Jam ...
as Maida. She is Canadian.
* Beth Bates – First female player in Kentucky to score in a high school football game, kicking five extra points for the Williamsburg Yellow Jackets during her junior year in 1982. Her historic first extra point was covered in ''The New York Times'' and ''Sports Illustrated.'' She became the first female player to score a field goal in Kentucky during her senior year, when she connected on a 22-yarder.
* Heather Darrow – First female athlete in the state of Tennessee to score a point in a high school football game, when she kicked a PAT in the season opener as a junior at Notre Dame High in 1986.
*Kathleen Trumbo – First female in the state of Indiana to earn a varsity letter in football, as a defensive tackle at Corydon Central High School in 1989. Although other girls in Indiana had started the season on boys' football teams, only Trumbo is believed to have finished.
*Sabrina Wells – One of the first two female players in the WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League), who played as a tight end for Ballou High School in Washington, DC, in 1989. Featured in ''Jet'' magazine with Lakeal Ellis.
*Lakeal Ellis – One of the first two female players in the WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League), who played as a defensive back for Roosevelt High School in Washington, DC, in 1989. Featured in ''Jet'' magazine with Sabrina Wells.
*Jessica Schultz – First female in Tennessee to score a touchdown in a varsity football game, as a sophomore running back at Jellico High in 1998. The touchdown on the home field of border rival Williamsburg High in Kentucky was viewed as "revenge" for the widely publicized extra point scored by Beth Bates 16 years prior.
*Tonya Fletcher – One of the very few female players in the state of Illinois to have tried and succeeded in playing high school football as of 1998, along with Tina Brooks of Wauconda High. Fletcher was a kicker for Cary Grove High School, who was named homecoming queen in 1998, and was featured in ''Mary-Kate and Ashley Magazine'' in 2001.
Post-2000
* Holley Mangold – In 2007, played high school football as an offensive lineman; younger sister of NFL offensive lineman
Nick Mangold
Nicholas Allan Mangold (born January 13, 1984) is a former American football center. He played college football at Ohio State, and was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Mangold was a seven-time Pro Bowl selec ...
. She also competed as a weightlifter in
the 2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event
A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competi ...
*
Erin DiMeglio
Erin DiMeglio (born October 22, 1994) is a former high school football and basketball player, who attended the University of Central Florida. In 2012, Erin graduated from South Plantation High School, in Plantation, Florida. As a senior at her h ...
– In 2012, became the first female quarterback to see play in Florida high school football history
* Becca Longo – Kicker who in 2017 became the first woman to earn a college football scholarship to an
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
school at the Division II level or higher and signed a letter of intent with
Adams State University
Adams State University is a public university in Alamosa, Colorado. The university's Adams State Grizzlies athletic teams compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
History
Adams State was founded in 1921 as a teacher's college. Billy ...
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* Anna Zerilli – Started kicking for Manchester-Essex High School, MA in 2015 and was the starting Varsity kicker for them. First female football player in North Shore and Cape Ann History and first female freshman to score in a Varsity game in American history. Currently playing Varsity football at Proctor Academy in New Hampshire. First New England female to sign to play college football. And will be kicking at Lake Forest College in Illinois next fall. Kicker at
Lake Forest College
Lake Forest College is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Lind University by a group of Presbyterian ministers, the college has been coeducational since 1876 and an undergraduate-focused liberal arts i ...
. First female to play on male football team in school history. Became first to play in the conference and first female to play college football in the Midwest.
* Mika Makekau: In 2008, as a placekicker for Iolani School in Honolulu, Hawaii, Makekau set the state record for longest field goal (44 yards) by a female kicker. Later became a college football placekicker at the
University of La Verne
The University of La Verne (ULV) is a private university in La Verne, California. Founded in 1891, the university is composed of the College of Arts & Sciences, College of Business & Public Management, the LaFetra College of Education, College o ...
, making a 26-yard field goal against No. 11 Whitworth on September 7, 2019.
See also
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Women's American football
Women's gridiron football, more commonly known as women's tackle football, women's American football, women's Canadian football, or simply women's football, is a form of gridiron football (American or Canadian) played by women. Most leagues play ...
Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...