A History of Dominance for the D.C Divas

DC DIVAS Win 2015 WFA Championship (Photo: DC Divas)

In 2001 the DC Divas began play under late Head Coach Ezra Cooper in the National Women’s Football Alliance (NWFA). The Divas finished that season with a 3-4 record. 15 seasons later, the Divas have not had a losing record since and have become a perennial powerhouse in the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA). The Divas have won 2 National Championships, including the 2015 WFA Championship, and will face the Dallas Elite Saturday July 23rd for the 2016 W Bowl, the new name for the WFA Tier I National Championship.

At the end of the 2004 regular season, Paul Hamlin became the second (and current) owner of the Divas. Coach Ezra Cooper and the Divas had already started to turn the Divas into a national powerhouse, winning the North Mid-Atlantic division in 2003 and finishing the 2004 regular season undefeated, the first of 4 consecutive undefeated regular seasons. One of those undefeated regular seasons led to the first National Championship over the Oklahoma City Lightning in 2006.

Quarterback of that 2006 team and current gunslinger for the Divas, Allyson Hamlin, told MyWSports “after winning in 2006 I truly believed we would have multiple championships, but the nine years in between proved to be a harsh reminder of just how hard it is to win a championship.” While they may not have been winning the Championship, they continued winning divisional titles. The Divas would make a switch in 2007 from the NWFA to the Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL). The Divas would win the divisional title three of the four years in the IWFL and would fall just short of a second National Championship, losing 21-18 to the Kansas City Tribe in 2009.

In 2011, the Divas would make another league move, joining the WFA. The Divas also brought back Coach Cooper as a defensive coordinator for that season. Unfortunately in 2013, Coach Cooper suffered a heart attack and passed away. Hamlin is still driven by his memory, “our beloved Coach, Ezra Cooper, built this team from the ground up. Every time I take the field, I bring him with me.” Head Coach Alison Fischer, who also played for Cooper as a Defensive Back, can still be heard on the sidelines using his words to motivate the Divas: “A team together can’t be beat. Won’t be beat.”

The Divas have created a special rivalry with the team from Boston, once the Militia, now renamed the Renegades. Dating back to the 2009 season when the Divas beat the Militia in the Eastern Conference Championship, the two foes met every year in the playoffs until 2014. Although the Militia would win their playoff battle each year from 2010-2014, it only caused the Divas to become stronger and understand the difficulty involved to win the National Championship. “There have been many painful losses and a lot of team adversity, but we grew from it all. I continue to push every day now, because we worked too hard to get to this point to simply squander it.”

In 2015, the Divas would not have to go through the Boston Renegades and would face off against a new team to the WFA, the Dallas Elite. The Divas and the Elite both entered the game undefeated. The Elite had scored 47 points or more in every game during the season and had only given up 14 points once. In the Conference Championship, they defeated Kansas City 70-14. The Divas, however, would hold the Elite to their lowest offensive output of the season and hang on in a back and forth battle to win their second National Championship, 30-26

The 2016 Season

This season the Divas, with the second toughest schedule in the WFA, began the season hosting the Dallas Elite in a 2015 National Championship rematch. The Divas didn’t fair as well in the rematch, losing 40-19. However, it was the Divas second game of the year that Allyson Hamlin believes was the highlight of the season, when they took on their archrival, the Boston Renegades.

“We had just dropped a tough game to Dallas. Even though we were 0-1 we knew if we could sweep the east we would still get the 1 spot in the Eastern Conference. It was a gut check and we knew our true character would be revealed. It was looking bleak in the end, but the defense got us the ball back and we drove down the field to win with 17 seconds left. If we don’t win that game, the season could have played out completely different. At that point we knew we were still a championship caliber team and we have been building from that moment.”

And building is exactly what they’ve done. “We did play the toughest schedule in the WFA this year, playing all the top teams in the east and the top team in the west” owner Paul Hamlin told MyWSports. After the late game heroics in Boston, the Divas would go to Richmond and hammer the Black Widows, who will be playing for the Tier III Championship Friday, 48-6. Two weeks later, the Divas would have add more late game drama to their season when the Chicago Force drove the field to first and goal with 10 seconds remaining. Cornerback Safi Mojidi made the interception at the 2 yard line to seal the 41-34 win for the Divas.

“Most of our games this year were hard-fought and important. The level of play and competition in women’s football gets more challenging every year, and every game counts towards the seeding in the playoffs” Paul Hamlin said of the regular season. The Divas finished the regular season 7-1 and won the Colonial Division title and the 1st seed in the National Conference.

The playoffs have proven to be just as challenging. The Divas first opponent was the Pittsburgh Passion, a new team to the WFA and the 2015 IWFL National Champion. In what was called the “Battle of the Champions,” the Divas would take control early and withstand a late comeback by the Passion, winning 41-29. The Conference Championship was against the archrival Boston Renegades. The Renegades came out strong, leading 7-0 at the end of the first quarter and 14-7 half way through the second quarter. It was the defense once again coming up big for the Divas with a “one-handed interception (by) Safi Mojidi towards the end of the first half, and we managed to take the lead before the half ended,” Paul Hamlin recalled. The Divas would take the lead before the half and run away with the win, 47-21.

Heading into their second straight National Championship, Allyson Hamlin feels very lucky to have so many great players on her team. “I would like to think our team is special. I believe we have the best all-around player in the world in (Wide Receiver) Ashley Whisonant and the best Running Back in Kenyetta Grigsby. Both are amazing teammates, could care less about stats, stay in top shape, film hounds and do whatever it takes to win.”

Hamlin, although she would never say it, is a star as well. She has been under center for 14 years and has led the Divas to numerous titles and with a win Saturday, Hamlin would notch her 99th career win, just 1 behind Allison Cahill, of the Boston Renegades, for the most wins all time in women's tackle football. “It’s hard to believe it’s been 14 years. We have worked day in and day out for years to get back our team on a consistent championship level.”

Again Hamlin deflects credit to the people around her when MyWSports asked her what keeps her going: “Our management (Paul Hamlin, Rich Daniel, and Neal Rozendaal) is second to none. They are always in our corner and work hard to make sure that all we need to do is focus on football. My dad has been there with me throughout my entire life and having him beside me is something I cherish every day. Our coaching staff consists of a lot of key retired players, none more important than Alison Fischer. The sacrifice she has made for this team is unbelievable and she has taken this team to the next level. Our offensive coordinators, Eric Evans and Greg Gaskins, have built an offense around our strengths. Eric has been through the ups and downs over the last 6 years and is by far the best coach I have ever had. He is a big reason of why I am the player I am today. Last but not least, my teammates make it easy coming to practice. We are a team full of superstars and you would never know it. They are humble, exceptional people. These people keep me going every day.”

Humble and exceptional are words that can certainly be used for Hamlin as well. Is it the values she learned from her father who has invested in her and the Divas? Or is it her former coach, Coach Cooper who drilled into her “It’s not about the name on the back of the jersey, it’s about the name on the front?”

Either way, Allyson Hamlin and the DC Divas know what it takes to win a National Championship and on Saturday July 23rd, in Pittsburgh, we will find out if they can win their 3rd National Championship. If you can’t make it to Pittsburgh, you can also watch live at golivesportcast.com.

Follow Kyle Wescott on Twitter @MHSWescott