By Patti Putnicki
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When you think of female sports pioneers, you probably think of Wilma Rudolph, Nancy Lieberman or Billie Jean King -- women of the pre-Title IX age who made the road a little easier for the athletes who followed.
It's about time you added the name "Barbara O'Brien" to that list.
Still fit at 5'9" with twinkling eyes and a soft-spoken Southern drawl, O'Brien has rightfully earned her place in history. She was the quarterback for one of the original teams in the National Women's Football League (NWFL) in the 1970s, a featured athlete on a nationally televised sports competition show and an advocate for numerous human rights causes. But, despite her accomplishments, O'Brien doesn't think of herself as a trailblazer, but a person who filled a lifetime with extraordinary adventures because she wasn't afraid to pursue the things she loved.
Young, Athletically Gifted and Female
From the time she could walk, O'Brien had athletic ability. Her brother? Not so much. In an era where a woman's "place" was still the source of much debate, O'Brien's biggest source of encouragement was actually her mother.
"I can remember my mother throwing a ball to me when I was a little girl. She was from a big, sports-loving family, and encouraged me to play," O'Brien said. "The problem was, at the time, there weren't any sports options for girls in the public schools. The boys could play, but the girls weren't supposed to be athletic. So, I played softball, volleyball -- anything there was to play -- on the street or in the park, after school."
At the time, women weren't supposed to need a college education, either.
"I was from a lower middle-class family that could only afford to send one of us to college, so, of course, it was my brother. So, I left home at 17 to start my life," O'Brien said.
She got a job as a cost accountant at a Dallas-based publishing company, and started playing in a women's softball league after work. A couple of years later, O'Brien heard about an opportunity that ultimately changed the course of her life.
"We heard that someone started a pro football league for women, and two brothers were putting together a team in Dallas. So, a bunch of us from the softball team decided to go try out," O'Brien said. "I had big hands, for a girl, and figured that would work to my advantage in catching and passing a football."
O'Brien not only made the team, but was quickly named the quarterback of the newly formed Dallas Bluebonnets. That's when the adventure began.
Are You Ready for Some Football?
The Bluebonnets were founded by Joe and Stan Matthews, two Dallas-area brothers. To this day, O'Brien has no idea why.
"Physically, they were Ross Perot types -- not people you would think of as athletic. I think one of them had a job at Sears," O'Brien said. "I don't know why they did it or how they funded it, really. I do know that it wasn't a big money maker. A lot of the time, the brothers couldn't afford to pay the coaches, so the girls would donate the $25 we made per game."
Although the name is less-than-fierce sounding, the Dallas Bluebonnets were no powder puff team. Every woman on the team's 33-player roster was in it to win.
"We had players of all kinds of backgrounds and ethnicities -- all playing together. We had single women with different jobs, students, housewives and moms. Even though the early 1970s was the era of Gloria Steinem and a pivotal time in the feminist movement, none of us were there to make a political statement or prove a point," O'Brien said. "We just loved sports and wanted to compete. We were all different, but we all got along. I made some great friendships along the way."
It never was about the money or the fame. There was no television coverage, and frankly, not many supporters of the NWFL in the press. But, no one could take away the thrill of running onto the field at Texas Stadium, and looking up in the stands at 2,800 cheering fans.
"Our first game was in 1973 against the Toledo Troopers. That one was a real eye-opener. Our team listed our weights as 20 pounds more than they actually were to intimidate our opponents. We figured the other teams did the same thing. Then, we saw those girls from Toledo -- they were huge. They definitely didn't lie about their weights," O'Brien said. "When you got tackled by one of those girls, you felt like you got
When you think of female sports pioneers, you probably think of Wilma Rudolph, Nancy Lieberman or Billie Jean King -- women of the pre-Title IX age who made the road a little easier for the athletes who followed.
It's about time you added the name "Barbara O'Brien" to that list.
Still fit at 5'9" with twinkling eyes and a soft-spoken Southern drawl, O'Brien has rightfully earned her place in history. She was the quarterback for one of the original teams in the National Women's Football League (NWFL) in the 1970s, a featured athlete on a nationally televised sports competition show and an advocate for numerous human rights causes. But, despite her accomplishments, O'Brien doesn't think of herself as a trailblazer, but a person who filled a lifetime with extraordinary adventures because she wasn't afraid to pursue the things she loved.
Young, Athletically Gifted and Female
From the time she could walk, O'Brien had athletic ability. Her brother? Not so much. In an era where a woman's "place" was still the source of much debate, O'Brien's biggest source of encouragement was actually her mother.
"I can remember my mother throwing a ball to me when I was a little girl. She was from a big, sports-loving family, and encouraged me to play," O'Brien said. "The problem was, at the time, there weren't any sports options for girls in the public schools. The boys could play, but the girls weren't supposed to be athletic. So, I played softball, volleyball -- anything there was to play -- on the street or in the park, after school."
At the time, women weren't supposed to need a college education, either.
"I was from a lower middle-class family that could only afford to send one of us to college, so, of course, it was my brother. So, I left home at 17 to start my life," O'Brien said.
She got a job as a cost accountant at a Dallas-based publishing company, and started playing in a women's softball league after work. A couple of years later, O'Brien heard about an opportunity that ultimately changed the course of her life.
"We heard that someone started a pro football league for women, and two brothers were putting together a team in Dallas. So, a bunch of us from the softball team decided to go try out," O'Brien said. "I had big hands, for a girl, and figured that would work to my advantage in catching and passing a football."
O'Brien not only made the team, but was quickly named the quarterback of the newly formed Dallas Bluebonnets. That's when the adventure began.
Are You Ready for Some Football?
The Bluebonnets were founded by Joe and Stan Matthews, two Dallas-area brothers. To this day, O'Brien has no idea why.
"Physically, they were Ross Perot types -- not people you would think of as athletic. I think one of them had a job at Sears," O'Brien said. "I don't know why they did it or how they funded it, really. I do know that it wasn't a big money maker. A lot of the time, the brothers couldn't afford to pay the coaches, so the girls would donate the $25 we made per game."
Although the name is less-than-fierce sounding, the Dallas Bluebonnets were no powder puff team. Every woman on the team's 33-player roster was in it to win.
"We had players of all kinds of backgrounds and ethnicities -- all playing together. We had single women with different jobs, students, housewives and moms. Even though the early 1970s was the era of Gloria Steinem and a pivotal time in the feminist movement, none of us were there to make a political statement or prove a point," O'Brien said. "We just loved sports and wanted to compete. We were all different, but we all got along. I made some great friendships along the way."
It never was about the money or the fame. There was no television coverage, and frankly, not many supporters of the NWFL in the press. But, no one could take away the thrill of running onto the field at Texas Stadium, and looking up in the stands at 2,800 cheering fans.
"Our first game was in 1973 against the Toledo Troopers. That one was a real eye-opener. Our team listed our weights as 20 pounds more than they actually were to intimidate our opponents. We figured the other teams did the same thing. Then, we saw those girls from Toledo -- they were huge. They definitely didn't lie about their weights," O'Brien said. "When you got tackled by one of those girls, you felt like you got