HUNTSVILLE TIGERS
Founded in November 2011, The Huntsville Tigers are the oldest women’s football team in the state of Alabama. The team was started by experienced female football players aiming to sustain the legacy of women’s football in Huntsville. The team proudly features dynamic and experienced all-female owners and an all-female coaching staff in a sport typically dominated by men.
Our mission is to teach, uplift, and empower women through sports, ignite passion for the game, foster teamwork, and celebrate the strength of women. The Huntsville Tigers remain dedicated to providing women with the opportunity to play tackle football, represent the state of Alabama, and leave a legacy for the next generation of women who love football and want to play.
Women’s football is pay to play. Our team runs off sponsors, fundraisers and generous donations which gives players a place to learn lifelong skills. Our diverse group includes mothers, wives, students, college graduates from various athletic backgrounds.
Achievements
– In their first year, the Huntsville Tigers advanced to the conference playoff game, where they were defeated by the eventual champions.
– In 2023 the Tigers were crowned Iron Woman Division Champions in the USWFL.
ALABAMA RENEGADES
The Renegades were one of the founding teams of the National Women’s Football Association (NWFA). The Renegades and the Nashville Dream played a six game exhibition season to determine the viability of a women’s full-contact football league. The exhibition games were a huge success and the league expanded to 12 teams in its first full season of play in the spring of 2001. Ray Quinn was the man who first brought full-contact football to Huntsville and he owned the team for two years. Nancy Byrd, a Renegade player kept the football dream alive in 2003 when she took over the team from Quinn. She along with general manager Lori Campbell ran the team for the next six years. Nancy continued to play for the Renegades while owning the team. At the end of her sixth season as owner of the Renegades, Nancy decided to retire from playing football and looked to sell the team. The NWFA stopped operations that same year.
TENNESSEE VALLEY TIGERS
Carlos Mathews, the former offensive coordinator of the Renegades realized the potential for women’s football in Huntsville and decided to explore ways to bring the game back. After researching several leagues Mathews found one with the stability needed to support football in the Huntsville area. The Tigers officially joined the Independent Women’s Football League on August 12, 2008 as a tier II team. In the 1st season of play the Tigers had a 5-3 record. At the end of the 2011 season Mathews no longer owned a team in the IWFL.
