Ashley Martin’s knees were knocking as she ran on the football field. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.
“I tried not to think about a bunch of people being there,” Martin said. She even recited a little prayer.
With a ponytail peeking out her helmet, Martin booted a perfect point-after kick for Jacksonville (Ala.) State on Thursday to become the first woman to play–and score–in a Division I football game.
The crowd of more than 11,000 gave her a long standing ovation. Martin grinned widely as she trotted off the field to be greeted by her male teammates.
Martin, the second-string kicker, was 3-for-3 on PATs as the Division I-AA Gamecocks beat NAIA Cumberland 72-10.
“I almost teared up at the end,” said Wayne Martin, the kicker’s father.
Teammates chanted “Ashley, Ashley!” afterward as coach Jack Crowe presented her with the game ball.
Martin is on scholarship as a starter on Jacksonville State’s women’s soccer team.
Say what?
`I’m after the same record as they are. I’m just getting a later start.’
-New Miami coach Larry Coker, 53, on Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden approaching Bear Bryant’s record of 323 victories
