A number of women have played high-level college football over the years, but they all earned their roster spots as walk-ons or via transfer. Becca Longo is something of a trailblazer: On Wednesday, she became the first woman to sign a letter-of-intent and receive a scholarship out of high school to play college football.
“I didn’t know that until today,” Longo, who will play football and basketball at Division II Adams State in Alamosa, told ESPN. “I’m still in shock from it. I’m just amazed.”
Longo, who indeed has her own Wikipedia page, made 30 of 33 extra-point attempts plus her lone field goal try from 30 yards out last season for Basha High in suburban Phoenix. That was good enough to attract the attention of an Adams State assistant, and Longo made her official visit to the school in February, kicking in front of the team’s coaches.
“It was like recruiting any other athlete,” former NFL quarterback Timm Rosenbach, Adams State’s head coach, told the Arizona Republic. “In Division II, we can see their workouts. To me, there is no doubt she can be competitive. She has a strong leg and she can be very accurate.”
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a woman score in a college football after a burst of activity starting in the late 1990s.
Liz Heaston: Kicked two extra points for Willamette, then an NAIA program, on Oct. 18, 1997 to become the first woman to score in a college football game.Ashley Martin: The first woman to score at the Division I level, Martin kicked three extra points for FCS Jacksonville State against Cumberland on Aug. 30, 2001.Katie Hnida: Became the first woman to score at college football’s highest level when she kicked two extra points for FBS New Mexico against Texas State on Aug. 30, 2003.Tonya Butler: On Sept. 13, 2003, became the first woman to kick a field goal in an NCAA game for Division II West Alabama.Brittany Ryan: With 100 points for Division III Lebanon Valley from 2007 to 2010, she’s the all-time NCAA female scoring leader.April Goss: Became the second woman to score in an FBS game with an extra point for Kent State against Delaware State in 2015.However, none of those women were recruited out of high school specifically to play football for the schools at which they accomplished their feats. Longo is the first.
