Columbus Pacesetters

Founded in 1974 by Linda Stamps

1974

The Columbus Pacesetters opened the 1974 season in June with a 12-0 win over the Cleveland USA Daredevils. It was believed to be the Daredevils' first defeat in four years.
Players on the 1974 Pacesetters included the following:

Name           Ht.     Wt.     Pos.           Age

Linda Stamps   5'6"    130     QB/DE          24

Lisa Perez     5'3"    125     QB/DB          17

Beverly Long   5'7"    190     C              30

Paralee Adams  5'2"    127     HB/DB          29

According to an article in the July 28, 1974 Columbus Dispatch, "Money from [the Pacesetters'] games goes into the club treasury and at the end of the season the players will vote on shares each is to receive, based on how much action each has seen, among other things."
Home game sites depended on the location of the sponsoring group.

· 1975

The Pacesetters top offensive player in 1975 was halfback Mary Morrison, and their team MVP was linebacker Linda Stamps.
Norm Richardson became the Pacesetters' head coach this season.

1976

The Pacesetters opened the 1976 season on August 29 with a loss to the Toledo Troopers. (From "Pacesetters Launch Campaign at Toledo." Columbus Dispatch, Aug. 28, 1976.)
There were twenty-five women on the Pacesetters' roster in 1976.

1977

In their season opener on August 20, the Pacesetters defeated the Middletown Mavericks 29-0 at Jones Junior High School field in Columbus. Quarterback Lee Austin opened the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run. Later, Ms. Austin threw a touchdown pass to Jan Seeley to make it 14-0. Backup quarterback Lee Anderson (#15) scored the next Columbus touchdown on a 32-yard option run. Andie Damerson tackled a Middletown player in the end zone for a safety, then scored the last Columbus touchdown on a 40-yard lateral pass play.
The Pacesetters finished 2^nd in the NWFL's Northern Division.

1978

1978 won-loss record: 3 wins, 3 losses. They finished 2^nd in the NWFL's Northern Division.
The Columbus Pacesetters suffered just five defeats in 1977 and 1978, all at the hands of the Toledo Troopers.
In their Oct. 21 loss to the Toledo Troopers, the Pacesetters' only score came on a Rosalind Porter touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
One of Columbus' wins in 1978 was a 12-0 victory over the Middletown Mavericks on Sept. 16.
The Pacesetters' overall five-year record from 1974 through 1978 stood at 15 wins and 21 defeats.

Here are a couple Columbus Pacesetters’ game photos from 1978/79:

1979

The Pacesetters 1979 schedule was as follows:

Date    Opponent       Result

Aug. 25 at Cleveland-e

Sep. 8  Middletown     W

Sep. 15 Toledo         W, 30-12

Sep. 22 at Cleveland-e

Sep. 29 At Middletown  W

Oct. 6  at Toledo      L, 25-7

Note: e-exhibition

1979 won-loss record: 4 wins, 1 loss (3-1 in the regular season)
The Pacesetters' 1979 coaching staff included offensive backfield coach G. Michael Colles; interior line coach Richard D. Colby, who was in his third year with the team; and defensive backfield coach Paralee Adams, who the year before became the first female football coach in America.
The Pacesetters' only defeat in 1979 came at the hands of the Toledo Troopers on Oct. 6.

Teams      1^st     2^nd     3^rd     4^th     F

Col.       0       0       0       7       7

Toledo     7       6       0       12      25

Scoring Summary

Toledo scores on a Linda Jefferson 3-yard run at 0:24 of first quarter. (Smith run)

Toledo score--Brigitte Hartz 62-yard interception return at 1:11 of 2^nd quarter. (Conversion run failed)

Columbus score--Bryant 33-yard run at 9:05 of 4^th quarter (Bryant conversion run)

Toledo Score--Jefferson 5-yard run in 4^th quarter

Toledo score--Jefferson 13-yard run in 4^th quarter

The Pacesetters defeated the Toledo Troopers in the Northern Division championship playoff in October.

1980

1981

The Pacesetters recorded two victories over the Battle Creek Rainbows in 1981: 65-0 on August 29 and 52-0 on October 10.

1982

1983

Columbus renewed its football rivalry with Toledo on August 27 by defeating the new Toledo Furies 32-14.

Teams      1^st     2^nd     3^rd     4^th     F

Col.       0       6       14      12      32

Toledo     0       14      0       0       14

Scoring Summary

Toledo--Keely Miller, 6-yard run (kick failed)

Columbus--Lee Anderson, 8-yard run (kick failed)

Toledo--Fran Washington, 88-yard kickoff return (Carter kick)

Columbus--Pam Carr, 20-yard pass from Anderson (Fravel kick)

Columbus--Andie Damerson, 6-yard run

Columbus-- Andie Damerson, 6-yard run

Columbus--Pam Carr, 38-yard pass from Anderson

(Source: "Furies Bow in Pro Grid Opener." Toledo Blade. Aug. 30, 1983.)

1984

1985

1986

1987

1987/88 coach: Andie Damerson, who was a fourteen-year veteran of the team.
1987 won-loss record: 0 wins, 5 losses.
Furthermore, the pacesetters were held to just one touchdown all season.

1988

Players on the 1988 Pacesetters team included the following: Debbie Fry, a 5'4", 125 lb. halfback/linebacker who had been with the team since 1984; quarterback Cathy Hatfield; Becky Vocca, a 5'5", 135 lb. tight end; and Brenda Crumley.
By 1990, the Pacesetters and other National Women's Football League teams ceased to operate as a tackle football league. Some of the teams, including Columbus, switched to flag football.