A Hundred Yards of Glory
By Jayne M. Iafrate
Conley Stadium at Providence's Mt. Pleasant High School is not fancy. A single gray concrete grandstand rises above the field. On an unseasonably cold November Sunday, it offers few of the comforts of nearby Foxboro Stadium, the home of New England's other professional football franchise, the Patriots. But then again, this is the team that went to the Super Bowl last season.
This is the New England Storm, of the Women's Professional Football League (WPFL). Among the nearly 50 players fielded from across the United States and Canada last season was Jessica Johnson '98, one of Wheaton's most talented softball players and a fixture in the record books. The opportunity to play professional ball was as much a welcome surprise to her as it was to anyone else.
"There really isn't a connection between softball and football," said Johnson, who alternated between defensive and punter positions. "I saw an article about the tryouts on the Boston.com Web site, and I decided to go. It was an athletic avenue that I hadn't thought about before and didn't think would ever be available to me. I missed being on a team, and this was a way to get back into team sports."
Johnson returned to team sports in a big way. The WPFL started out in 1999 with two teams that played exhibition games on a nationwide tour. In the 2000 season the league expanded to 11 teams in four divisions--including the Storm--with 55 regular season games, playoffs and a championship bowl game in January. Three more teams will join the league for the 2001 season. The Storm finished last season 7-3, including a trip to the league championship in Houston. None of it came about without an enormous amount of sweat equity.
"It was a big commitment, especially given the travel to Providence," Johnson said. Her tryouts for the team began in May 2000, and by October the team was well into regular workouts. "We practiced three times a week. It was a lot because I also work full time and go to graduate school." Johnson works for an immunologist at Children's Hospital in Boston, writing grants and submitting manuscripts. She's pursuing a master's in counseling psychology at Lesley College. Most of the league's players hold down full-time jobs in addition to their football schedule.
The hard work that's demanded of professional level football is seen not only on the field. Bone-crushing hits and tackles can be heard in the grandstands, and the crash of gear-on-gear reminds fans that these women are willing to endure a lot of punishment in order to play.
"I've played in football in social clubs, but nothing like this," Johnson said of the intensity level of pro ball. "It's a lot different when you know you're going out there and you're going to be hit. In all the other sports I've played, it's been incidental if I'm hit or knocked down during a game. In football it's pre-determined.
"It's so different watching and playing football,"Johnson said. "On the field it's hard to see the full scope, to see who's coming at you. I grew up watching football with my brothers, but I don't think I was fully prepared to know what would happen when I got down there. It's a lot different."
According to Wheaton softball coach Gina Loudenburg, it's no surprise that Johnson has been up to the challenge of her season in the pros. "Jessica had a huge impact right from the start of her career on the college's softball team. "She walked on as a freshman and went on to become a first-team All-American. She's one of the best surprises we've ever had."
The Storm's first season saw its share of hardship and glory. Just a few months into the Storm's first season, in which they won their conference but lost the championship bowl game to the Houston Energy, the WPFL teetered near collapse, putting into question whether the league could survive long enough to see a title game or to pay its players their $100 per game salaries. In early December, one of the team owners took control of the league, raised $1 million, and resurrected women's football for another season.
The 2001 season, however, will go on without Johnson.
"I believe I will be stepping away and hanging up my cleats after this season is finished," Johnson said. "While I have confidence in my athletic abilities, I don't believe I can physically handle the pounding; I've already had three athletics-related surgeries and am waiting on my fourth. I just hope that I've helped to break ground for those who want to put their cleats on again.
"And I think we've done our job to show just how competitive and athletic we are and that men's football doesn't have to be the standard to try and measure up against. We've put something together that is truly its own entity and is enjoyable, whether it's on the field, on the sidelines or in the stands."
Johnson has positive thoughts for the organization this season. She believes the league will be able to create a better operating structure and broaden its advertising campaign to reach another level of support for the team. It's my hope that the league finds a way to make this a lucrative business because to the women I've encountered along the way, it's become a large piece of their life's work."
So, how does it feel to call oneself a "professional football player"?
"It's kind of surreal," Johnson sheepishly admitted, but it's really just 45 women who love to play and decided to take advantage of this opportunity. A lot of the women involved have been waiting a long time to do this."
