es… that’s right. I played semi-professional women’s full-tackle football for four years. “Semi-Pro” in this context means you didn’t have to pay to play — we weren’t bringing in a paycheck, we just had sponsors and owners who paid for everything (well, sometimes better than others).

I started my career with the Denton Stampede, a new expansion team for the NWFL (National Women’s Football League)’s 2004 season. I went to a practice on a Thursday, and by that weekend (because they had low roster numbers) I was the starting center and also played about 70% of the defensive plays without even a clue as to what I was doing. But I was in pads and excited to be there! It was an amazing experience to play football and one I will never forget. The Stampede was rather painful, getting stomped each and every game, but I met some amazing people and worked my butt off.

Denton Stampede 2004