The Golden Hawks football team survived a year beginning with tryouts in January 2002. At the end of the first season, it became the Indiana Thunder with an ownership change. That version lasted two more years.
The teams made a few headlines. There weren’t many people in the stands, only friends and relatives. Not a great number of people remember the women who played tackle football in South Bend.
The players expected to make history with a women’s professional football team that was part of the National Women’s Football League. There were about 200 women who initially tried out for the team. Six months later, there were 29 players. They were from all walks of life — office workers, teachers, mothers, factory people. Some were athletes; others, not so much.
They rode buses to games in Detroit and Cleveland during the spring and summer. They formed a bond and sang what was a theme song of sorts, “I Will Survive.”
There were injuries, family issues and coaching changes during that first year. The team eventually won one game. Through the three seasons, the women learned about the game. All through it, they took the hits and were fearless. They continued to love the game no matter what.
Today, a few former players remember the time as a rewarding experience. Regina Williams-Preston said it was intoxicating, a rush to be a defensive tackle. “We are linked by an experience like no other.”
Jane Levenhagen Hatch was a defensive back. She said she knew it was going to be tough, but that meant little to her. She wrote a poem about taking part in a man’s game. “Yeah, that’s what they keep telling me. But they don’t understand the level of a woman’s intensity.”
Pam Hall was a running back. “I thought it would be fun and challenging. I didn’t know much about football. I thought I could do it. As time went on, I wondered why I was still doing this. But I made a commitment to the team. It was an amazing experience.”
The opportunities and friendships were real and so were the bad knees. There was joy in blazing new ground.
The Golden Hawks are the subject of two presentations, a museum exhibit at The History Museum and a book, “Pigskins & Ponytails: The Story of Women’s Professional Football” by local author Mark Bradford.
Mark and Mishawaka’s The Acting Ensemble also have teamed up for two public immersive storytelling experiences about the the Golden Hawks.
● The Elkhart Public Library will host “Pigskins & Ponytails” at 7 p.m. May 16, in the downtown library, 300 S. Second St., Elkhart.
● The History Museum then presents the program at 2 p.m. May 17 at the museum, 897 Thomas St., South Bend.
Along with actors from the theater company, former players will give firsthand accounts and reflections on the game and what it means to them. Mark will be there with some passages from his book.
Mark said he expects between eight and 15 players to be on hand for the opening of the weekend at a private reception at The Acting Ensemble in Mishawaka.
Both the library and the museum events are free. However, check with each for ticket availability.
For more information, check the Elkhart Library at 574-522-5669. The museum number is 574-235-9664.
The museum’s Golden Hawk exhibit features uniforms, equipment, photos, video and information posters about the team’s three years.
History Museum Executive Director Brian Harding said he was thrilled to hear about another part of South Bend history. “It is right in line with the museum’s mission to educate the community.”
Brian said he was in communication with Mark about the possibility of doing a program based on the book that was published shortly after the first season ended.
Mark has been a sportswriter since he graduated from Purdue University in 1975. He worked for The Tribune and other newspapers covering Northern Indiana. His first book was on the Notre Dame women’s basketball championship in 2000-01.
The Hawks book takes the form of a diary written on the sidelines of the first year. “I believe in karma,” he said.
Mark saw the announcement about the team forming and that practice would start shortly. “It clicked. It was a story that would write itself.”
Mark said the book is the team’s story, players’ stories. Not his. He said the women became a team, there was a bond.
“Only four had gotten to actually score,” he said. “None of them ever experienced winning until the third year, shortly before the team folded under the tremendous weight of too little of everything.”
Mark said he hopes the audience at the two presentations learns about trying to do their best.
“I want them to see that any dream is a good dream, and when the opportunity presents itself, they should go for it, despite the obstacles and hurdles,” Mark said. “Despite struggling on the field, I think every woman who participated in playing real tackle football will tell you that it was a significant and positive experience in their lives, and that cannot be measured in wins and losses.”
Contact Kathy at kfborlik@yahoo.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Take a look back at the South Bend women’s tackle football team
Reporting by Kathy Borlik, Columnist / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
