Sports History
A Passion for Winning
By Anne Madarasz

On the same weekend that the Steelers take the field for their first regular season contest, another pro team in town, the Pittsburgh Passion, will begin fall tryouts. The team's veterans return as champs; in July the Passion captured their first NWFA (National Women's Football Association) championship. The win was decisive. The Passion finished their season 12-0, defeating the Columbus Comets 32-0 in the final game. Quarterback and Most Valuable Player Lisa Horton completed 13 of 21 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns, plus another she ran in herself.

The Passion, who outdrew all other teams in the league, have been around for only five years. But the tradition of women's professional football in the region dates back to the 1960s to teams such as the USA All-Stars and the Pittsburgh Herricanes. Better known, and longer lived, were the Pittsburgh Powderkegs, a women's football team that competed from 1968-1971. Coached by former standout running back for the Steelers and Browns, Charley Scales, the women played their games at South Side Stadium. The 20 some women who participated were paid $20 a game to match-up against teams from Detroit, Cleveland, Toledo, Toronto and Buffalo.

Just like the Passion now, Powderkeg players came from all walks of life. Defensive tackle Melena Barkman worked as a nurse at LTV, quarterback Linda Hodge did administrative and graphic work at Westinghouse, and halfback Shelia Edmunds worked as a receptionist at KDKA.

Football impacted their lives in different ways. For Hodge, the first woman inducted into the Minor Pro Football Hall of Fame, football inspired her to branch out to a new career. She became a welder at Westinghouse and is now a Presbyterian minister. Fullback Carole Duffy, who played for all three early teams, became a police officer. She recently joined Hodge in the Minor Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This year the Passion also found success on the South Side, moving their playing field from Ambridge Area High School to Cupples Stadium. Team co-owner and safety Teresa Conn led a core of five year veterans who have seen the team gain in experience and garner new respect as full-contact pro players. The team's passion for winning has crafted a new generation of football champions for the region.

Anne Madarasz is Director of the Western PA Sports Museum which features the story of women's football and the Pittsburgh Passion.