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Women's Pro Football Kicks Off

© Michelle Parke

The 2000-2001 inaugural season of the Women’s Professional Football League (WPFL) kicked off this past weekend and did so with great success. The new league is composed of 12 teams located throughout the country and the rosters are a mixture of outstanding female athletes from all sports. After a successful league kick-off in 1999 called “The 1999 ‘No Limits’ Barnstorming Tour,” the WPFL powers-that-be decided women’s pro football was marketable and could be successful in the U.S.

Eight teams kicked off the season on October 14. The Minnesota Vixens squeezed out a 14-12 victory over the Colorado Valkyries. On the East Coast, the New England Storm shutout the New York Galaxy, 28-0. Further south, the Houston Energy defeated in-state rival the Austin Rage, 52-25.

In Florida, the Daytona Beach Barracudas handed the Miami Fury its first loss. The Barracudas quarterback Shawna Kenneley and Kas Sky-Deer combined for 13 of 20 passes for 185 yards. Kenneley connected with wide receivers Kim Brown and Shawn Burrows for two touchdowns. Brown added another touchdown and tallied 104 rushing yards. The Fury got on the board when linebacker Shatoya Coogle intercepted a pass from Kenneley and ran for a 15-yard touchdown. The Barracudas defense held up its end of the bargain to earn the victory. Defensive end Christine Czaja had three sacks and five tackles, and fellow defensive end LaShannia Tucker posted two sacks and six tackles. Cheri Rhodes added four tackles and one fumble recovery, and Australian linebacker Selena Worsley contributed eight tackles to the Barracudas victory. Defensive back Joy Kroemer held Miami’s Trigger McNair, the 1999 League MVP, to only four pass completions.

The first week of play for the WPFL was a success and fans look forward to a fun and exciting season. Next week, the Tampa Tempest face the Minnesota Vixens. The Austin Rage and Houston Energy square off once again and the Barracudas take on the New York Galaxy. The Miami Fury will try to earn their first win against the New England Storm while the Colorado Valkyries go head-to-head with the Oklahoma City Wildcats.

The WPFL was started in 1999 by Terry Sullivan and Carter Turner with the Lake Michigan Minx and the Minnesota Vixens as the charter franchises. The 1999 kick-off proved to be successful and convinced Sullivan and Carter women’s pro football was a marketable sport in the U.S. The WPFL has the fiscal resources and the talent to be a successful national league. Over the next few years, there are plans to expand into major cities throughout the U.S.