Lesbian running back Q. Ragsdale rushes in Dallas Diamonds’ undefeated season
NEXT HOME GAME Dallas Diamonds play Iowa Crush at Pennington Field, 1501 Central Dr. Bedford, Texas May 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets $10. Kids under 17, $7 DallasDiamondsFootball.com
It’s hard not to call Q. Ragsdale "cute" — especially when she’s in her football uniform. Only 5-foot 3", the powerfully quick running back is a fierce little dynamo. And she’s got the bling to prove it — a big three-peat "super bowl" ring. That’s when the Dallas Diamonds were the 2004, 2005, 2006 champs of the Women’s Professional Football League.
2004 was her rookie year with the Diamonds, and Ragsdale was named MVP. It’s not unusual for her to score three touchdowns in a single game. Growing up in Garland, she craved football.
"On weekends, I was glued to the television, watching pre-game shows and then game after game," she remembers.
As a girl, she mainly flexed her athletic prowess in track and field events. Ragsdale was a sprinter and ran relay. She got her first taste of pigskin with a women’s flag team at Southern Methodist University, where she earned a degree in film. Now she’s runs her own company, and is frequently hired as a post-production supervisor for hip-hop music video shows like "Flava TV."
But playing with the Diamonds is a "huge time commitment," Ragsdale says: During pre-season, the team practices three times a week; twice a week when games start.
So far, the Diamonds are undefeated, 4-0. A broken toe kept Ragsdale out of the first two games. Last weekend, in Miami, she scored a touchdown against the Fury when the Diamonds won 48-6.
Ragsdale is pumped for Saturday’s game against the Iowa Crush. She wants 2008 to be the Diamond’s fourth championship season.
"Just because we’re women, this ain’t no powder-puff football," she says, remembering how one of the huge offensive player clotheslined Ragsdale, which sent the shawty ball carrier airborne.
Has her jersey been always been 17?
"Yep," she says. "Q is the 17th letter of the alphabet."
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition May 16, 2008.