Toni Harris Set to Become First Female to Play College Football on Scholarship

During Super Bowl LIII, Antoinette “Toni” Harris became a household name. Toyota debuted a commercial focused on her journey to play football competitively, not as a kicker, but as a defender. Her visibility increased with each passing day, and she has since become the first woman to accept a scholarship to play football at a four-year college as a position player.

In an article for The Undefeated, authors John Florio and Ouisie Shapiro sat down with Harris, the head coach of Central Methodist University, David Calloway, and defensive backs coach LaQuentin Black. Harris revealed during this conversation that her journey to earning a scholarship was not a simple quest.

In fact, there was considerable hardship that she faced, but it was ultimately worth the effort.

As someone that was placed in foster care at the age of four and later faced with defeating both ovarian cancer and discrimination by an athletic director, it’s difficult to figure out exactly which incident in her life was the biggest driving force for the 5-foot-7-inch, 165-pound Harris. At this point, it doesn’t matter as Harris has shown an impressive ability to fight through adversity and achieve her goals, and plans on continuing this trend.

“I think God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers, and I feel as though I’m one of God’s stronger soldiers,” Harris said. “So I feel like I can overcome anything that’s thrown my way.”

According to the interview, Harris originally enrolled at Toledo and had planned to walk on to the football team, but she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and dropped from 170 pounds all the way down to 90. She nearly forgot about the dream of playing football but realized that if she could beat chemotherapy, she could fight through everything else in life that was trying to hold her back.

Now 23 years old, Harris has successfully earned two associate’s degrees, one in social and behavioral sciences and one in criminal justice. She also fought her way onto the East Los Angeles College football team and appeared in three games, tallying one pass defensed and three tackles, one of which was a 24-yard loss.

“She was very, very persistent with her goals, and she wouldn’t give up,” coach Bobby Godinez said. “And when it came down to it, her teammates were the ones who said, ‘This girl belongs here.’”

While Harris had partially achieved her goal by earning a spot on the ELAC roster as a sophomore, her journey was nowhere near complete. The Toyota ad put her in the national spotlight, which brought on appearances on Good Morning America and The Today Show.

Harris ultimately landed five scholarship offers, but she opted for Central Methodist University. Calloway had been recruiting her prior to the Super Bowl commercial, and he wasn’t promising the world. He flat out told Harris that she had to earn her spot on the team, which would happen in the meeting rooms, in the gym, and on the field.

Obviously, there are concerns about the first time Harris runs into a massive offensive tackle that is determined to prove that she doesn’t belong in football pads, so how will she deal with the situation? According to her new head coach, Harris won’t have any issues meeting the challenge head-on. After all, it’s what she has been doing her whole life.

“[Think about] what she’s been through in life,” Calloway said in the article. “Football’s probably not gonna be that tough when all is said and done. Having beat cancer at a young age, and then growing up in foster homes and then maintaining a great attitude through all of it, I think that’s gonna help. That’s what I [see] from a character standpoint. When she puts her mind to things, she can get stuff accomplished.”

To read the full story on Toni Harris, visit The Undefeated.