First Female Running Back Gets Tackled Hard in Indoor Football League (VIDEO)
The first female running back, Jennifer Welter, played in the Indoor Football League Saturday, making her the only woman to ever play in a men's football league as a non-kicker or placekick holder. Although she was tackled by men much bigger than her 5-foot-2-inch, 130-pound frame, she shrugged it off and managed to earn something more important than yards— their respect.
The first female running back played for the Texas Revolution during a preseason game for the 8-on-8 Indoor Football League. When Welter came in for her team during the third quarter, the 36-year-old was hit hard by a 245-pound defensive lineman on her first carry, losing a yard on the play.
"I said, 'Is that all you got?'" she recounted to The Dallas Morning News. "[The Texas Crunch players] were getting all alive, and I had to say something. I didn't want them to think I was intimidated."
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During all three carries she was hit hard, gaining only one yard during her time on the field. Cedric Hearvey, the Crunch player who hit Welter, didn't want to tackle her the way he normally would guys, but she still surprised him with her tenacity.
"Part of me wanted to let her score, but part of me had a job. So I was like, 'Can y'all please take her out?'" he explained. "Honestly, I really have a lot of respect for that lady over there."
The Texas Revolution beat the Texas Crunch 64-30.
Welter, who played as a linebacker for the Dallas Diamonds of the Women's Football Alliance since 2004, isn't advocating that women play football against men. Instead, she just wants the world to recognize that women can play football, too.
"The truth is if I can change the game, literally, for any of those girls, it's worth it," she said. "Because it's really not about me. It's about them and the future of the sport. … the sky's the limit for women's football right now."
The Indoor Football League season began Feb. 15. Welter said when she signed up for the team that her presence on the Revolution is far from "some gimmick," and coaches are looking for her to be there for the long term.
