Washington metropolitan area
The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
; Largo High School in
Largo, Maryland
Largo () is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 11,605 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
Largo is located just ...
; the Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex in Landover (where the NFL's
Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division ...
Springfield, Virginia
Springfield is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The Springfield CDP is recognized by the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 31,339 as of the 20 ...
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...
.
History
2001
The Divas were formed in 2000 as one of the ten charter franchises of the National Women's Football Association. The Divas were the first women's football team in the nation's capital and were coached by Ezra Cooper. The Divas' first win came on May 13, 2001, with a 10–6 victory at home over the Connecticut Crush. The Divas finished their inaugural season with a 3–4 record, the team's only losing season to date.
2002
The Divas were purchased by Lee Fahringer and Kelly George before their second season. The Divas finished the 2002 season with a 5–3 record, the first of six consecutive winning seasons for the team. A chance at the Divas' first playoff berth came down their final game of the year, but the Divas fell short of the Baltimore Burn in their season finale, 6–0.
2003
The 2003 season is considered by many to be the birth of the Divas' dynasty. Finishing the regular-season 7–1, the team clinched their first of five consecutive playoff berths and division titles. After defeating the Connecticut Crush in their first ever playoff game, the Divas fell to the Philadelphia Phoenix in the conference semifinals. The Divas' Donna Wilkinson became the first running back in women's football history to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards in a single season, totaling 1,267 rushing yards in 2003. That year, the Divas were featured on
CBS Evening News
The ''CBS Evening News'' is the flagship evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program of CBS News, the news division of the CBS television network in the United States. The ''CBS Evening News'' is a daily evening broadcast featu ...
.
2004
Winning their second consecutive division title by finishing 8–0, the Divas clinched home-field advantage throughout the Northern Conference playoffs. After defeating the Southwest Michigan Jaguars in the conference semifinals, the Divas lost to the eventual NWFA champions, the Detroit Demolition, in the Northern Conference championship game, 20–14.
Following the season, the Divas played in a charity game against a men's team assembled by The Sports Junkies, who host a local syndicated sports radio show. Although the Divas lost, 28–6, the contest set a new record for the highest attendance at a women's football game, as 8,200 fans came to the event. Later that offseason, the Divas had a second ownership change when Paul Hamlin, father of Divas' quarterback Allyson Hamlin, bought the team.
2005
For the second consecutive season, the Divas finished the regular season with a perfect 8–0 record. For the second straight year, however, they were handed their first defeat of the season in the Northern Conference championship game by eventual NWFA champion
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
to the new Prince George's Sports and Learning Complex in nearby
Landover, Maryland
Landover is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 25,998.
Landover is contained between Sheriff Road and Central Avenue to the ...
, and a new uniform design was also unveiled. These changes set the stage for the biggest moment in the franchise's history.
2006
As was the case the past two seasons, the Divas finished 2006 with a perfect 8–0 regular season record and advanced to the conference championship game. Unlike '04 and '05, however, the Divas won the conference championship, defeating the Columbus Comets and advancing their first ever league championship game. The Divas traveled to
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
to take on the Oklahoma City Lightning for the 2006 NWFA national championship. The Divas capped an 11–0 season with a 28–7 victory over the Lightning for the team's first league championship. Running back Rachelle Pecovsky and linebacker Ivy Tillman received the game's MVP honors on offense and defense, respectively.
2007
Before the 2007 season, the Divas left the NWFA to join the Independent Women's Football League. The Divas were just as successful in this new league, however, finishing with an 8–0 regular season record for the fourth straight year and capturing the Mid-Atlantic Division title. However, their playoff run ended abruptly when the Divas lost in the conference semifinal round to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Atlanta Xplosion.
2008
2008 was a disappointing year for the Divas. The season began with a loss to the Boston Militia, 27–22, which snapped the Divas' 32-game regular season winning streak. That was a sign of things to come, as the Divas lost four games in 2008, each by six points or less. They finished the year with a 4–4 record, their worst since 2001. Because of that record, the Divas failed to win their division and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2002.
2009
Rebounding from the 2008 season, the Divas returned to their winning ways in 2009. The Divas compiled a perfect 8–0 regular season record for the fifth time and claimed the Mid-Atlantic division title. The Divas had home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but because of a scheduling conflict at their home field, they had to travel to Boston to play the Militia in the 2009 IWFL Eastern Conference championship game. In a thrilling game, the Divas defeated the Militia, 27–21, giving the franchise just their second conference championship (and their first in the IWFL). On July 25, the Divas went to Round Rock, Texas, a suburb of Austin, to play for the 2009 IWFL World Championship. The Western Conference champion Kansas City Tribe pulled a 21–18 upset and handed the Divas their first loss of the season, taking home the IWFL championship in the process.
2010
2010 was another successful season for the Divas. Despite finishing the regular season at 5-3 (two games behind the 7-1 Atlanta Xplosion), a stronger overall schedule gave the Divas the division crown, their seventh in team history. The Divas then justified their place in the division in the conference semifinals, defeating the Xplosion, 35–7, and getting some revenge for the playoff loss in 2007. However, it was the Militia who got revenge in the 2010 Eastern Conference championship game, avenging the previous season's defeat by eliminating the Divas; the Militia went on to win the 2010 IWFL national championship.
That season, the Divas were featured on
CNN
Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
as part of a team profile. Also that season, former Diva wide receiver Natalie Randolph made national headlines as one of the first female head coaches of a high school football team.
2011
Along with many of their archrivals, the D.C. Divas moved from the IWFL to the Women's Football Alliance for the 2011 season. In their first year in the new league, the Divas didn't slow down, easily winning the Northeast Division with a 7–1 record. However, for the second year in a row, the eventual league champion Boston Militia ended the Divas' season by knocking them out of the playoffs.
After the season, the Divas made a change, hiring Alison Fischer as their new head coach. Fischer played on the Divas' first team in 2001 and became one of the few female head coaches in women's pro football.
2012
In a situation similar to 2010, the Divas, with a 5–3 record, claimed a division title over 7-1 Pittsburgh thanks to a stronger strength of schedule. Once again, the Divas proved that was the correct decision by defeating Pittsburgh in the playoffs and advancing to the conference semifinals.
For the fourth straight year, the Divas clashed with the Boston Militia in the playoffs, and for the third straight time, the Militia came out on top, this time by a 55–34 score. But this time emotions spilled over, and the game ended in a bench-clearing brawl which attracted negative media attention and resulted in several suspensions by the league against Divas players.
2013
For the third time in four seasons, the Divas finished the regular season with a 5–3 record. The Divas also won their tenth division title, which tied the record for the most division championships all-time in women's football by a single franchise. The D.C. Divas advanced to the conference semifinals, where they were eliminated for the fourth consecutive season by the Boston Militia.
2014
The D.C. Divas began their 14th season of play on April 5, 2014.
2015
The D.C. Divas were undefeated in the regular season, post-season, and beat the Dallas Elite for the national championship. Quarterback Allyson Hamlin threw her 200th touchdown and crossed the 13,000 yards passing mark for her career.
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
) Lost Eastern Conference Semifinal (
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
) Lost Northern Conference Championship (
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
Chattanooga
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...
) Won Eastern Conference Championship ( Columbus) Won NWFA National Championship (
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
) Won Eastern Conference Championship (
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
) Lost IWFL Tier I World Championship (
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...
)
, -
, 2010 , , 5 , , 3 , , 0 , , 1st Tier I East Southeast , , Won Southeast Division Championship (
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
) Lost Eastern Conference Championship (
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
)
, -
, colspan="6" align="center" , D.C. Divas (WFA)
, -
, 2011 , , 7 , , 1 , , 0 , , 1st National Northeast , , Lost National Conference Quarterfinal (
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
)
, -
, 2012 , , 5 , , 3 , , 0 , , 1st National Mid-Atlantic , , Won National Conference Quarterfinal (
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
) Lost National Conference Semifinal (
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
)
, -
, 2013 , , 5 , , 3 , , 0 , , 1st National Mid-Atlantic , , Won National Conference Quarterfinal ( Columbus) Lost National Conference Semifinal (
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
)
, -
, 2014 , , 5 , , 4 , , 0 , , 1st National Mid-Atlantic , , Won National Conference Quarterfinal ( Columbus) Lost National Conference Semifinal (
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
)
, -
, 2015 , , 12 , , 0 , , 0 , , 1st National Mid-Atlantic , , Won National Conference Quarterfinal (
Miami
Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
) Won National Conference Semifinal (
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
) Won National Conference Championship (
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
) Won WFA National Championship (
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
)
, -
, 2016 , , 10 , , 1 , , 0 , , 1st National , , Won National Conference Semifinal (
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
) Won National Conference Championship (
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
) Won WFA National Championship (
Dallas
Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...