New York Fillies

General Manager: Joe Kover

President: Jim Eagan

Coaches: Bill Bryant, Jody Friend, and Mitch McCarroll

Some Facts about the New York Fillies

• The New York Fillies were in action in Sid Friedman's Women's Professional Football League at least during the 1972 season.
• Approximately 100 women turned out for New York Fillies' tryouts in February/March 1972.
• According to one article, four Fillies coaches quit before the first game when owner Jim Eagan didn't buy insurance for the players.
• 1972 won-loss record: 0 wins, 4 losses
• The New York Fillies played a home game versus the Detroit Cowgirls at Long Island's Freeport Stadium on Sunday, June 4, 1972. The game was broadcast on WMCA radio. NOTE: If anyone has an aircheck tape of this game, or if anyone knows if a surviving audio tape of this game can be found, please e-mail me and let me know. Thank you.
• Mr. Eagan, after losing all of his $20,000 investment in the New York Fillies, disbanded the team after the 1972 season and let the players keep their uniforms.
• There would be three ownership changes for the New York Fillies between the end of the 1972 season and the beginning of the 1975 campaign.
• Even after Jim Eagan bailed out on the New York Fillies women's football franchise, first-string team members continued to have workouts and practices twice a week in Central Park. In the mean time, Fillies player Carol Brown took it on herself to find new financial backing for the team. One Fillies player offered to pay the head coach from her waitressing salary.
• In 1974, the New York Fillies were renamed the Long Island Herricanes. Team members contacted the Service Corps of Retired Executives for advice on how to reestablish the franchise without big financial backing.
• It is unknown whether or not the Long Island Herricanes of 1974/1975 ever played an actual game. If anyone has this information, please let me know.

Partial New York Fillies Roster for 1972

No.	Name			Pos.	Height	Weight	Age
14	Pat Hambel		QB	5'4"	120	20
74	Carol Brown		C	5'9"	225	28
84	Gail Dearie					29
	Lynda Berardino		E			24
32	Winnie Walker		RB			25
	Willo Lovett		DE			30
72	Nancy Barardino		OT			17
	Carol Corcoran					22
	Sylvia Morgan		HB			18
	Tippy Fiorino					23
	Madde Winkler		HB/S	5'2"		16
10	Joan Carney		QB			16
	Loretta Cranston	LB		180	
	Deborah Nelson		WR			
	Tracy Gessner		QB			
	Charlotte Rauch			5'	105	20
	Pat McCaffrey		DB			
	Rose DeLeon					
7	Ronnie Voccaro					
51	Beth Hazarian					
	Louise Nardi		DB			17
			

 New York Fillies First Game--May 13, 1972

• Running back Sylvia Morgan ran the ball fifteen yards on her first carry.
• The Midwest Cowgirls' Linda Clay caught a 71-yard touchdown pass and returned a Fillies' punt 45 yards to set up another score. Ms. Clay also intercepted a Fillies' pass and returned it 43 yards and gained 38 more yards on an end around play.

New York Fillies 1972 Schedule

Date		Opponent		Result
May 13	Midwest Cowgirls 	Cowgirls won 28-0
May 20	at Pitt. Powderkegs	Powderkegs d. Fillies
May 27	at Detroit Fillies	Detroit d. NY Fillies
June 4	Detroit Cowgirls	Cowgirls d. Fillies

  Here is a list of sources I used in compiling this page:

Comerford, Ed. "It's Bargain Basement Football." Newsday. May 15, 1972: 71

Fulman, Ricki. "All-girl football team tackles a man's game." New York Daily News. 18 Apr. 1972.

"Gals Grid: Only Score Clear." Long Island Press. May 15, 1972: 23.

Hansen, Jim. Photo essay of the Fillies' June 4, 1972 game at Freeport Stadium. Newsday. June 5, 1972: 71.

"Here's Our First All-Girl Football Team." Photos by Louis Salzberg. Long Island Press. May 17, 1972: 21.

Hirshey, Dave. "Our fillies tackle football . . . " New York Daily News. 14 May 1972: 123

Klayman, Dick. "Those Fillies are fierce." New York Post. 11 May 1972: 72.

----------, "The Fillies are fit, sort of." New York Post. 13 May 1972: 57.

Klayman, Dick and Linda. "The Fillies fizzle." New York Post. 15 May 1972: 53.

Klemesrud, Judy. "Young women who prefer gridiron to the steam iron." New York Times. 5 May 1972: 36.

"New York Fillies Shift to Freeport." Long Island Press. May 21, 1972: 37.

Pincus, Arthur. "Fillies beaten by Cowgirls, 28-0, in debut of women's football." New York Times. 14 May 1972; sec 5:

Sutherland, Viv. "Without coaches, money or equipment, life for the New York Fillies is not one long, rosy touchdown." womenSports. November 1974: 52.

Turner, Eleanor. "Women's Glib." (In this letter, the writer criticizes Ed Comerford's May 15, 1972 commentary on the New York Fillies' inaugural game.) Newsday. May 28, 1972; Sports: 8.

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