Toni Harris, The First Woman Who Could Play American Football Professionally

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

Women have become the center of attention of American football in this 2020. Not only Shakira and Jennifer López broke all stereotypes with their unforgettable presentation on the Halftime Show of the most recent edition of the Super Bowl.

Katie Sowers became the first coach to be in a Super Bowl as part of the coaching staff for one of the star teams. And another Latina also broke the scheme by being the first chef in NFL history to be in charge of food in the big game: Dayanny de la Cruz.

Likewise, there is another name that for a few months has become the inspiration for many women and girls who also want to make history in a sport in which men predominate. Antoinette Harris, known in the world of football as "Toni" Harris, continues to take giant steps toward her dream of becoming the first woman to reach a professional NFL team.

In 2019, this Detroit-born 23-year-old super athlete stole the attention of millions by starring in one of Toyota's commercials for the Super Bowl. It was then that this young woman became an idol for hundreds of young women in the United States and the entire world.

Shortly after the media explosion in the Super Bowl commercial, "Toni" became the first woman to receive a college scholarship to join the football team as a field player.

Although other women have already earned a place on college teams in the past, they have all done so as kickers and not in any position on field teams.

"Hundreds of women who want to play football contact me daily … they tell me that I am their inspiration … I tell them not to stop trying, to work hard, and to never stop believing in themselves," Harris shared in conversation with the The Undefeated online site.

The path has not been easy for this warrior of life, since on more than one occasion she has received a “no” in response to her desire to be a football player. In addition, she has had to face giant battles to continue in the pursuit of her dreams as an athlete, like living in temporary homes since she was only 4 years old.

But perhaps the biggest test that Toni has had to pass was the one that was found when he was just starting his studies at the University of Toledo, in Ohio, an institution where he was trying to earn a place in the American football team. In her first year, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and her fight against the disease led her to lose almost half of her body weight, going from 170 pounds to just 90.

The word "surrender" does not exist in your vocabulary. After overcoming cancer and almost being forced to give up on her dream of being a professional player, Harris focused all her efforts on returning to the field. "I think God gives her strongest soldiers the toughest battles and I feel like I'm one of her strongest soldiers," said Toni.

Currently, Harris is part of the defensive team of the Missouri Central Methodist University team, from which he will graduate in 2020, a year in which he could leave a historical mark on the pages of the NFL. No woman who has joined a university team has managed to have an opportunity in a professional team.