First Female Pro Football Player: Jennifer Welter Becomes First Female Non-Kicker to Play Professionally
36-year-old Jennifer Welter works for the Indoor Football League. She isn't a league executive or a cheerleader for a team though -- instead, Welter is a professional football player. She has a full-contact position as well: running back for the Texas Revolution. A female running back is a first for a professional football league. In fact. no other women has played a position other than kicker for a men's pro team.
What makes this story all the more impressive is that Welter stands 5-foot 2 inches and weighs just 130-pounds. She obviously isn't the biggest on the field at any given moment -- in fact she may be the smallest, but her grit and tenacity shines through each and every time.
Revolution coach Chris Williams has nothing but praise about the spry running back.
"I've been impressed with her grit and her desire," Revolution coach Chris Williams said. "And even, in some cases, in the beginning I thought even delusional thoughts that she had about being able to play the game. But as I watched her, I'm impressed with how she comes to work every day."
Welter saw her first big game action when the Revolution played their in-state rival the North Texas Crunch. Welter's number was called three times, the first of which came halfway through the third quarter of play. The result wasn't pretty. Big 6-foot 4 inches, 245-pound Cedric Hearvey rang her bell.
But the one-yard loss that resulted didn't make Walter doubt herself.
"I said 'Is that all you got?'" Welter barked at Hearvey. "I didn't want them to think I was intimidated."
You go girl!
"I'm an athlete, I'm competitive," Welter told For The Win. "But the bigger thing for me is obviously for little girls to see they can do everything just like little boys can."
She got two more touches near the goal line, but never got into the end zone for six, however something tells me that Welter will become the first female pro football player to score a touchdown.
Interested in seeing Welter play? Follow the jump to see her in action.
Do you think women will ever play in the NFL? Better yet, do you think women should play pro football at all? Let me know in the comments section below.
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