Liz Heaston
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth "Liz" Heaston Thompson (born 1977) is an American athlete who is the first woman ever to score in a college football
game. She accomplished this feat on October 18, 1997 as a placekicker
for the Willamette University
Bearcats
, which was competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA). She also played women's soccer for Willamette. Heaston's accomplishment was widely noted by the media and the sports community.
. After graduating she enrolled at Willamette University
, where she became a star soccer player, earning All-American honorable mention in 1996 and 1997. In 1997 she joined the football team as a backup placekicker
. She became the first woman to play and score points in a college football game in a match between Willamette and Linfield College
on October 18, 1997. The 5-foot-5-inch, 120-pound soccer player entered the game as a replacement kicker for Willamette and kicked two extra point
s as her team won 27-0. Heaston's football career lasted two games; she made two of four extra point
attempts.
The following year Heaston played only soccer at Willamette, and graduated with a biology degree in 1999. She attended graduate school at Pacific University
where she earned a doctorate in optometry and met her husband Trent Thompson. She has one daughter, Isabella, and a son and lives and works in her hometown of Richland, Washington
, where she works at her father's optometry office along with her husband.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
game. She accomplished this feat on October 18, 1997 as a placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
for the Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
Bearcats
Willamette Bearcats
The Willamette Bearcats are the athletic teams of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Competing at the non-scholarship National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III level, the school fields twenty teams. Most teams compete in the Northwest Conference with their primary...
, which was competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
(NAIA). She also played women's soccer for Willamette. Heaston's accomplishment was widely noted by the media and the sports community.
Life
Heaston was raised in Richland, WashingtonRichland, Washington
Richland is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, at the confluence of the Yakima and the Columbia Rivers. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 48,058. April 1, 2011 estimates from the Washington State Office of Financial Management put the...
. After graduating she enrolled at Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
, where she became a star soccer player, earning All-American honorable mention in 1996 and 1997. In 1997 she joined the football team as a backup placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
. She became the first woman to play and score points in a college football game in a match between Willamette and Linfield College
Linfield College
Linfield College is an American private institution of higher learning located in McMinnville, Oregon, United States. As a four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college with a campus in Portland, Oregon, it also has an adult degree program located in eight communities throughout the...
on October 18, 1997. The 5-foot-5-inch, 120-pound soccer player entered the game as a replacement kicker for Willamette and kicked two extra point
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
s as her team won 27-0. Heaston's football career lasted two games; she made two of four extra point
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
attempts.
The following year Heaston played only soccer at Willamette, and graduated with a biology degree in 1999. She attended graduate school at Pacific University
Pacific University
Pacific University is a private university located in Oregon, United States. The first campus began more than 160 years ago and is located about 38 km west of Portland in Forest Grove...
where she earned a doctorate in optometry and met her husband Trent Thompson. She has one daughter, Isabella, and a son and lives and works in her hometown of Richland, Washington
Richland, Washington
Richland is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, at the confluence of the Yakima and the Columbia Rivers. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 48,058. April 1, 2011 estimates from the Washington State Office of Financial Management put the...
, where she works at her father's optometry office along with her husband.
See also
- 1997 Linfield vs. Willamette football game1997 Linfield vs. Willamette football gameThe 1997 Linfield vs. Willamette football game was a college football game between the and the played on October 18, 1997. The game was played at McCulloch Stadium in Salem, Oregon. Willamette won the game by a score of 27 to 0...
- Katie HnidaKatie HnidaKatharine Anne "Katie" Hnida is an American football player who became the first woman to score in an NCAA Division I-A game, college football's highest level...
, the first woman to score in a Division I-A game - Ashley MartinAshley MartinAshley Martin is an American athlete who became the first woman to play and score in an NCAA Division I American football game, and one of the first ever to score points in any college football game. She accomplished this feat August 30, 2001 as a placekicker for the Jacksonville State University...
, the first female to score in an NCAA game, and the first to score in a Division I game - Tonya ButlerTonya ButlerTonya Butler is an American athlete who is the first woman ever to score a field goal in a college football game. She accomplished this feat on September 13, 2003, as a placekicker for the University of West Alabama Tigers, which was competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...
, the first female to score a field goal in a NCAA game
External links
- Heaston & Thompson Vision Clinic Elizabeth Heaston Thompson, OD