Dubbed the female Jerry Rice, Adrienne Smith has cemented her name in the history books. The two-time gold and three-time silver medalist holds the Women’s Football Alliance’s all-time receiving yards record. While representing the United States, Smith scored the first-ever touchdown in international women’s football history. She has turned her passion for football into a business. Gridiron Queendom is a platform for women of all ages who enjoy football as a fan and/or as a player.
Adrienne spent time talking with us about her love of football, the growth of women’s sports, and how we can continue to support women in sports.
What made you start playing football? When did you realize this could be a profession?
From the time I was a little girl, at the age of three, I was drawn to football. I used to watch it every weekend with my parents, and would set up my teddy bear, Ginger, in front of the television and tackle him non-stop as I watched the games! In 2010, when I was selected as 1 of 45 women to represent the U.S. women’s national tackle football team in the first-ever Women’s World Championships, I had a sense that football could be more than just a game I loved – that it could be a pathway to making a living.
You were a US National Women’s Football Team member who won the inaugural gold medal at the event. How does it feel to score the first-ever touchdown in the history of women’s international tackle football?
I remember scoring that history-making touchdown as if it occurred yesterday. I remember when our Team USA head coach, John Konecki, yelled out the play. My senses became heightened because I knew the play call was meant for me. I took a deep breath, waited for my phenomenal quarterback, Sami Grisafe, to shout her cadence, and when the ball was snapped, I made my move off the line of scrimmage, caught the ball, and ran 52-yards to score the touchdown! The O-line did an amazing job blocking and I just kept saying to myself, “Run, don’t trip! Run, don’t trip!” lol
Looking back, how does it feel to see how far women’s sports have come?
I am absolutely thrilled to see women’s sports start getting its due. First and foremost, shout-out to Billie Jean King, founder of the Women’s Sports Foundation, for all the work she and other female athletes in the 1970s did to start a movement in which women could feel supported in demanding equality in sports. The rise in popularity of the WNBA and other women’s leagues such as the NWSL and PWHL came to fruition through the tireless effort of women over the past 50 years who kept pushing for more and holding the U.S. government and other governing sports bodies accountable to Title IX. I am especially excited and appreciative of how the NFL has helped to spearhead the proliferation of girls’ flag football in schools across America. And of course, I am absolutely pumped that flag football will be included in the Olympics in 2028.
What has winning at the highest level taught you? How do you stay motivated?
In order to win at the highest level, you have to be committed to commitment. That is to say, you have to be steadfast in doing anything and everything that is necessary to keep yourself in tip-top shape mentally and physically. You also MUST surround yourself with like-minded individuals. Whether it be coaches, teammates, or managing staff, everyone has to buy into a mindset where there is no arrogance, entitlement, or complacency. Everyone must agree to put the well-being of the team above any one player’s desires. And last, but certainly not least, you all must decide on setting and maintaining a culture of excellence.
As far as staying motivated – that’s easy… WINNING IS FUN!!! I enjoy winning, so that’s what I do.
You started Gridiron Queendom. What is the mission of the organization and why do you think representation in football is so important?
I founded Gridiron Queendom in 2013 to promote and support women and girls around the world who play (or want to play) tackle and/or flag football. I wanted to create a space where girls and women felt safe and welcomed to learn about and play American football. In my opinion, there should be no sport that is off limit to an individual because of their gender. Football is a game.
Do we tell girls that they can’t play chess, checkers, or Connect Four because they are girls? Absolutely not. In the same vein, girls and women should not be prevented from playing football, a game that teaches players so much about teamwork, stick-to-itiveness, and strategy – all of which are amazing traits that increase a person’s ability to have success in all areas of life.
What are your thoughts on the growth of girls’ flag football and the overall rise in popularity in women’s sports?
The future of football is female. There are currently 13 states that have sanctioned girls’ flag football as a high school varsity sport. In the next decade, I anticipate that number to grow to all 50 states. Additionally, the NAIA offers women’s flag football as a collegiate sport with women now having the ability to earn scholarships to play flag in college. I am hopeful that the NCAA will soon follow suit. In short, flag football for girls and women is the next big thing.
Where do you hope to see women’s sports in five to ten years?
I would ideally love for all 50 states to have sanctioned girls’ flag football as a varsity sport, and I would like the NCAA to follow the NAIA’s lead and offer women’s flag football as a collegiate sport.
What is your best advice to young people who want to pursue professional sports?
If you want to become a pro, get as much experience playing your sport as possible. Enter tournaments, participate in camps, play with people who are older or more skilled than you so that you can improve. Listen to your coaches, and establish excellent eating, training, and sleeping habits.
