ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

[Shell]

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Tipsheet marvels at the story of Charlotte Chambers, a hard-hitting safety for the Orlando Starz of the Women's Football League.

These women play real tackle football. And Chambers, a former high school basketball player, is 70 years old and a great-grandmother.

But don't even think about going easy on her on the gridiron. Her favorite player is Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp and she tries to emulate his attitude.

"I say, 'You better hit me, because I'm laying you out,'" Chambers said.

Starz CEO Marsha Beatty vouches for her toughness. "Last year, I thought I should tell the other teams to go easy and not hit her too hard," she said. "But now I'm afraid she's going to hurt somebody. When she puts on her uniform, all this aggression comes from somewhere.

"Charlotte's ready to hurt somebody -- she uses the word 'death.'"

[moonstomper]

Wow! 70 years ols and playing tackle football? Not only that, but she plays defensive lineman? amazing :eek2:

edit-I dont know how I thought she played D-line, its no where in the original article :spin:

[Jeff O Rocks]

That is truly inspirational....way to go Charlotte! :D

[Guyute]

saw a clip of her on ESPN, or some news show... I forget.

TRULY amazing.

[Shell]

More indepth with picture.. and yeah, an awesome story for sure!

That 70 in the football program is her age, not uniform number
BY CAMMY CLARK
Knight Ridder Newspapers

ORLANDO, Fla. -(KRT) - A petite woman wearing a pink chiffon dress, black hat and gold hoop earrings stood on the sideline, watching tryouts for the Orlando Starz of the Independent Women's Professional Football League.

Players thought Charlotte Chambers was somebody's grandmother. But team owner Marsha Beatty told them, "That old lady wants to play."

'We were like, 'Really?' " lineman Jayne Hamilton said.

The lady drove away and returned 20 minutes later wearing a T-shirt and shorts, declaring she was ready to kick butt. The Gridiron Great Granny era had begun.

"I had no idea how old she was until I went through my registration papers," Beatty said of Chambers. "She wasn't 32. She was born in '32."

Chambers, whom everyone on the team calls "Miss Charlotte," is now 70 and in her second season with the Starz. She practices like all the other players - running hills, sweating through drills, making tackles, getting tackled.

The five-four, 140-pounder, who has five children, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, plays about eight minutes a game at safety, the last line of defense. During Tuesday's full-pad practice, she had an interception.

"I know some people are going to think this is a publicity stunt," Beatty said. "But we didn't go to the media. The media came to us. If anybody thinks it's a joke, they can come out and watch a game."

STORY BREAKS

Miss Charlotte played her entire first season in anonymity. But her world has turned topsy-turvy since Monday, when her story made it to CNN.

The next afternoon, a crew from CBS' The Early Show was at her modest house, taking in the plastic pink flamingos in the yard. Two hours later at practice, Sports Illustrated was taking her photo. She has done interviews with radio stations from London to Alaska. Monday she will fly to Los Angeles to be on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

"I really am overwhelmed," Chambers said. "But I'm glad for the girls. Make sure you mention our website (www.orlandostarz.com). We need the support."

Born in Orlando during the Great Depression, Chambers went on to play basketball and softball and run track for then-segregated Jones High School.

Fifty-two years later, she saw a sign for the Starz tryout on her way to church. She tried to get an old high school friend to go with her.

The friend told her, "No way, I'm not breaking my bones. I've already got arthritis. You're crazy, just like you were in high school."

Chambers wasn't worried football would be too tough. It couldn't be tougher than leaving a bad marriage and moving to Connecticut to raise three kids on her own.

"I ran from my husband," she said. "You heard about a slow boat to China? I took a fast bus to Hartford."

She taught at a vocational school for 35 years before moving back to Orlando to care for her ill mother, who died in 2001.

She also knew football couldn't be any tougher than her battle with breast cancer.

"Cancer hits harder than Cowboy," said Chambers, referring to five-foot-10, 210-pound defensive tackle Mona Mitzenius. "Cowboy can knock you into tomorrow, but you just have a few bumps and bruises. When cancer hits you, you never know if you're going to survive."

ROAD TO RECOVERY

She discovered the lump in December 1987. After several months of chemotherapy, she began to walk five miles almost every morning and drink a concoction of carrots and aloe that she whips up in a blender. Sometimes she throws in a banana, raisins and a half-clove of garlic.

"She tried to get me to drink it a week ago because of my bad knee," lineman Hamilton said. "When I heard what was in it I said I would stick with water."

Chambers has been cancer-free for 14 years and looks about 50, with only a sprinkling of gray in the dark curly hair that grew back after chemotherapy.

She is not about to win the Most Valuable Player Award in the league, but you wouldn't know it by her attitude.

"If they let (the ball carrier) through the line, she's dead."

She laughed recalling the time a young boy told her, "What are you doing out here? They're going to hurt you."

The Starz players won't let anyone hurt their sacred safety.

During a 39-0 loss at Atlanta two weeks ago, coach Mike Vessio put Chambers in the game for a goal-line stand.

'In the huddle, we told each other, 'Nobody's getting our Miss Charlotte,' " Hamilton said. "We turned into a wall."

Atlanta didn't score. Miss Charlotte's inspiration to the team is her greatest contribution. She leads a prayer before and after every game.

"If you make a decision to do something, you do it," Chambers said. "Because in the end, when you get ready to leave this world, you can say you did just about everything you wanted to do. That's a good feeling."
© 2003, The Miami Herald.
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[Jeff O Rocks]

Thanks Shell for the pics..she doesn't look anywhere NEAR 70...awesome lady!! :D

[Alicia]

Great for her...more power to her!!

[Turbulence]

Wow...If I can do that by age 70 I'll have been a pretty lucky guy...good for her.

Maybe she can help Carolina out of its losing ways... :p