Watch: This woman just made college football history

Haley Van Voorhis has spent the past 10 years sweating, scheming and dreaming her way into the nearly all-male ranks of college football history.

On Saturday, her hard work finally paid off.

Van Voorhis wrote her name in the history books as the first woman to play in an NCAA football game in a position other than kicker or punter. The 5-foot-6, 145-pound safety took the field for Shenandoah University late in the first quarter in a game against Juniata College.

“She entered the game in a special defensive package, and it was her role to push up to the line and blitz the quarterback. She got through and managed to hit Juniata quarterback Calvin German an instant after he had released the ball on what became an incomplete pass,” according to The Washington Post.

“I want to show other people this is what women can do, to show what I can do. It’s a big moment. I made the impossible possible, and I’m excited about that,” Van Voorhis told the Post after the game, which Shenandoah, a Division III program, won 48-7.

Who is Haley Van Voorhis?

Van Voorhis is pretty used to making impossible things happen by now. She’s been changing people’s assumptions about who should play football since she was in elementary school, according to The Washington Post.

“Van Voorhis has been playing against the boys since she joined a coed flag football team in fifth grade. She was the only girl on that team,” the article said. “She also was the first girl to play high school football at Christchurch, a boarding school located about an hour east of Richmond on the shores of the Rappahannock River, where she saw considerable action at wide receiver and defensive back and was named team captain her senior year.”

Van Voorhis was recruited by several Division III programs out of high school and ultimately chose Shenandoah, which is close to her hometown. Now a junior, she’s spent the past two seasons lifting weights, memorizing plays and running drills alongside her all-male teammates.

“The guys respect her because she shows up and does the work on the field and in the weight room. She’s been a very positive member of our team. She’s very good mentally and understands her role. I have confidence in her that she knows her job and can execute it.” said Shenandoah head coach Scott Yoder to The Washington Post.

While awaiting her chance to play in an NCAA game, Van Voorhis has played for Shenandoah’s junior varsity squad and the D.C. Divas, which is part of a women’s professional league.

“We’re just so happy for her. ... She’s worked so hard to accomplish her dream. They had told her to be ready to play, but that’s all. She was born ready,” said Van Voorhis’ father, Chandler, to the Post.

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How football fans reacted to Haley Van Voorhis

Van Voorhis’ history-making appearance in Saturday’s game inspired a range of reactions on social media.

Many football fans applauded her achievement, while others accused her of roughing the passer and accused Shenandoah of going “woke.”

Rachel Bachman, a senior sports reporter for The Wall Street Journal, noted on X that more and more girls and young women are getting involved in football these days.

“This milestone comes on the heels of a surge of girls playing high school tackle football, and the strong promotion of girls’ flag football by a powerful backer,” Bachman said.

Here are some other reactions to Van Voorhis’ play:

Notable female players in college football history

With Saturday’s achievement, Van Voorhis’ follows in the footsteps of women who have served as kickers or punters on college football teams.

That elite group includes Sarah Fuller, a Vanderbilt University kicker who became the first female to kick for a Power Five program in a game in November 2020.

“Fuller ... made history again two weeks later against the University of Tennessee when she became the first woman to score in a Power Five game,” Vanderbilt reported in February 2021.

Van Voorhis told the Post that she’s hopeful more female players will join football teams.

“Don’t listen to people who say don’t do it,” she said. “Don’t be scared. Just go at it with everything you can.”