COLUMBIA, Mo. — Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller became the first woman to participate in a Power Five conference football game when she kicked off to start the second half against Missouri on Saturday.
Fuller, a senior goalkeeper on the soccer team, kicked off the turf with a holder rather than using a tee, and she sent a low kick to the 35-yard line where it was pounced on by Missouri’s Mason Pack.
She went straight to the sideline where she high-fived some of her new teammates and swapped some elbow bumps. Fuller’s parents watched and cheered from the stands along with her boyfriend and best friend.
“Honestly it’s just so exciting, and the fact that I can represent like the little girls out there who wanted to do this or thought about playing football or any sport really and it encourages them to be able to step out and do something big like this,” Fuller said after the game.
HISTORY MADE 👏@VandyFootball’s Sarah Fuller is the first woman in college football history to play in a Power 5 game. pic.twitter.com/zhSaLqa3Bg
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 28, 2020
Georgia hosts Vanderbilt (0-8) next Saturday in Athens.
“If she wants to kick and she’s available, we’d love to have her,” Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said.
Fuller said she was really calm when she went out for the second-half kickoff.
“The SEC championship (soccer match) was more stressful if I’ve got to be honest,” Fuller said. “I was really excited to step out on the field and do my thing.”
That was Fuller’s only chance in Vanderbilt’s 41-0 loss.
Fuller, joined the football team this week after helping the Commodores win the SEC soccer tournament last weekend. COVID-19 protocols and restrictions left Mason with a limited number of specialists available against Missouri. Mason reached out to soccer coach Darren Ambrose for some help.
“I’m not about making statements,” Mason said. “This was out of necessity. You look at our week. Our students had gone home. The ability to have access to students and tryouts was almost nil in terms of like what’s available. ... That just happened to be the most viable option.”
Fuller agreed to give football a try and practiced with the winless Commodores before making the trip to Missouri. She wore “Play Like A Girl” on the back of her helmet. She wore No. 32 on Saturday, the same as her number when playing soccer.
After her kickoff, reaction poured in on social media as Fuller the No. 2 trending topic on Twitter followed by Vandy. Her soccer team wrote on Twitter: “Glass. Everywhere.”
As in glass ceiling.
Pat McAfee, former NFL punter, reviewed Fuller’s squib kick noting the ball didn’t go out of bounds, didn’t give up a touchdown with no chance of a return to set up the defense.
“Congrats to (at)SarahFuller_27 for being THE FIRST EVER WOMAN TO KICKOFF A POWER 5 GAME,” McAfee wrote. “Incredibly rare to be the ‘1st ever person to do something’ these days..this is really cool.”
No woman had appeared in an SEC football game or for any Power Five team. Liz Heaston became the first woman to score with two extra points for Willamette in NAIA on Oct. 18, 1997.
Katie Hnida was the first woman to score at the Football Bowl Subdivision level with two extra points for New Mexico on Aug. 30, 2003.
April Goss was the second with an extra point for Kent State in 2015. Tonya Butler was the first woman to kick a field goal in an NCAA game for Division II West Alabama on Sept. 13, 2003.
“Let’s make history,” she wrote Friday on Twitter with a photo of herself wearing a football jersey with a soccer ball between her feet while holding a football in her hands.
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz visited with Fuller before the game and repeated a message that Fuller has heard a lot in recent days. The father of four daughters told Fuller it was incredible they watched her make history.
“I’ve had girl dads come up to me and they’re like, ‘You’re inspiring my little girls, and I want them to know that they can do anything and you’re proving that point.’ And I think that has been the coolest thing,” Fuller said.
Fuller also made clear she’d be up for continuing to help the football team if needed. She believes she can refine her timing and technique with more practice.
