{"id":10880,"date":"2017-04-14T16:19:00","date_gmt":"2017-04-14T16:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2017\/04\/14\/arizona-woman-is-hailed-as-first-female-to-earn-a-college-football-scholarship\/"},"modified":"2017-04-14T16:19:00","modified_gmt":"2017-04-14T16:19:00","slug":"arizona-woman-is-hailed-as-first-female-to-earn-a-college-football-scholarship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/arizona-woman-is-hailed-as-first-female-to-earn-a-college-football-scholarship\/","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Woman Is Hailed As First Female To Earn A College Football Scholarship"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Bill Chappell<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
[embedded content]<\/div>\n
YouTube<\/b><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Becca Longo won’t be the first female kicker in college football, but she’s believed to be the first to earn a scholarship in Division I or II, after Longo, 18, signed a letter of intent to play for Adams State University in Colorado next year.<\/p>\n

Longo says she wasn’t aware she might be making history when she accepted the scholarship offer during a signing ceremony at the Phoenix-area Chandler Basha High School in Arizona.<\/p>\n

“I didn’t know until … Coach Todd was saying that I had just made history that I was,” Longo tells local TV station Channel 12<\/a>, citing her former coach Gerald Todd. “Like, I had no idea. I just thought I was just signing a piece of paper, that I was just going to go do what I love to do.”<\/p>\n

Longo kicked for the Basha Bears for two seasons, wearing number 4. As a senior, she made 35 of 38 extra-point attempts and also hit a 30-yard field goal, according to Adams State<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Blessed and honored to say that I will be continuing my football career in Colorado at Adams State University??? Go Grizzlies pic.twitter.com\/7fSf16wuAh<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Beccs (@BeccaLongo) March 5, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

“It was like recruiting any other athlete,” Adams State coach Timm Rosenbach told AZ Central<\/a>. “In Division II, we can see their workouts. To me, there is no doubt she can be competitive. She has a strong leg and she can be very accurate.”<\/p>\n