Tonya Butler facts for kids

Tonya Lynn Butler (born October 20, 1980) is an American athlete. She made history as the first woman to score a field goal in a college football game. This amazing moment happened on September 13, 2003. Tonya was playing as a placekicker for the University of West Alabama Tigers. Her team was part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II.

Tonya Butler's Football Journey

High School Football Achievements

Tonya grew up in Fayetteville, Georgia. She played as a placekicker for Riverdale High School. She became the main kicker in her tenth grade year. Before that, she played for the junior varsity team as a freshman.

As a sophomore, Tonya was very successful. She made seven out of eight field goal tries. She also kicked 28 out of 31 extra points. She became the first girl to be named to the all-area team for Clayton and Henry Counties. She also received an honorable mention for the Class AAA all-state team. This award was chosen by the Georgia Sportswriters Association.

In her junior year, Tonya made five out of ten field goals. She also kicked 20 out of 23 extra points. As a senior, she made seven out of thirteen field goals. She also had 64 out of 65 successful extra points. She finished her high school career with 165 total points. This placed her second all-time in points scored at Riverdale High. Because of her great play, Tonya was named to the 1998 Class AAA all-state football team. She was the first female ever chosen for this honor. Tonya also played soccer in high school.

College Football Career

During her last year of high school, many colleges were interested in Tonya. She received interest from Central Michigan in Division I-A. More than 20 schools in Division I-AA also wanted her as a placekicker. In January 1999, Tonya announced she would play college football. She chose Middle Georgia College to play for head coach Randy Pippin. On February 3, 1999, she signed a national letter of intent. This gave her a football scholarship to be a placekicker. This made Tonya the first female to get a football scholarship at a state school.

During her two years at Middle Georgia, Tonya was a strong player. She made 36 out of 42 extra points. She also kicked one field goal for the Warriors. After earning her associates degree at Middle Georgia, she did not get any more scholarship offers for kicking. Tonya then went to Georgia Southern and graduated in 2003.

After graduating from Georgia Southern, Tonya got a new chance. Her former coach from Middle Georgia, Randy Pippin, was now the head coach at West Alabama. He offered Tonya a scholarship to be the placekicker for the Tigers. She still had two years of college sports eligibility left. She joined as a graduate student and won the starting kicker spot for the 2003 season.

In the very first game of the season, Tonya made history. She scored a 27-yard field goal against Stillman. This happened with 9:41 left in the first quarter. At first, the NCAA did not confirm it. This was because their records did not track gender. But later, it was confirmed that Tonya was the first female player to score a field goal in an NCAA college football game.

Tonya played as the placekicker for West Alabama in both the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In her college career, she made 13 out of 19 field goal attempts. Her longest kick was 39 yards. She also made 48 out of 53 extra point attempts. Her 50 total points in the 2003 season led her team. She was also named special teams captain in both her years at West Alabama. Tonya also earned Academic All-Gulf South Conference in 2004. She graduated in 2005 with a master's degree in psychology and counseling.

In January 2006, Tonya's West Alabama helmet, jersey, and cleats were put on display. They were shown at the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis. This honored her achievements as a student-athlete.

Tonya held the record for the most points scored by a female college football player. She had 87 points through the 2010 season. Then, Brittany Ryan from Lebanon Valley College set a new record.

More Amazing Female Football Players

• List of female American football players
• Sarah Fuller, the first woman to score in a Power Five conferences football game.
• Liz Heaston, the first female to play and score in a college football game.
• Katie Hnida, the first woman to score in a FBS game.
• Becca Longo, the first woman to get an NCAA football scholarship to a Division II or better school.
• Haley Van Voorhis, the first female to play a non-kicking position in an NCAA game at any level.