Adrienne Smith (American football)
Adrienne Smith is a women’s tackle football player and an entrepreneur.[1] She was born in Alexandria, Virginia.[2]
Education
[edit]Smith has an undergraduate degree in Japanese with a minor in film from Washington University in St. Louis.[2] She also has an MBA from Columbia Business School, New York City. She lived and worked in Japan for three years as a translator and Coordinator of International Relations for the Japanese Board of Education.[2]
Professional Career
[edit]She was a wide receiver for the Boston Renegades.[3] Smith began her professional career as an athlete in 2006.[2] In 2010 and 2013, she helped the U.S. women's national American football team win the gold medal in the International Federation of American Football's Women's World Championship.[4]
Smith began playing with the Boston Renegades in 2011 and has won six Women's Football Alliance national championships with the team.[5][6] Smith set the all-time record for receiving yards in the WFA in 2022.[7]
Smith has stated that she ha been passionate about football from an early age.[8][9][10] She started overseeing the American Flag Football League’s Women’s Division in 2021.[10][2] Smith is the co-founder of Harlem Hip-Hop Tours, a company that creates field trips for students.[4] Smith is also the founder of Blitz Champz, a football related card game.[11]
Legacy
[edit]Smith and fellow football stars Joann Overstreet and Jona Xiao and D.C. Divas receiver Lois Cook are part of Team Milk, which is part of a Got Milk? campaign.[10] In 2022, Smith was honored as one of VIBE Magazine's Voices of the Year.[12] In 2023, she was recognized as one of "Boston’s most admired, beloved, and successful Black Women leaders" by the Black Women Lead project.[13][14]
References
[edit]- ^ "Adrienne Smith: Championing Women's Football and Inspiring the Next Generation". WSFL. 2025-02-20. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ a b c d e Champz, Blitz. "Pro-Football Player & Blitz Champz Creator Adrienne Smith Heads Up American Flag Football League's New Women's Division". www.prweb.com. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ "For the love: The Boston Renegades". ESPN.com. 2016-06-03. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ a b Levinsky, Greg (24 June 2022). "Multidimensional Adrienne Smith hopes to lead Boston Renegades to another women's football title". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Kujawa, Taylor (2022-02-10). "Exclusive: Adrienne Smith and the rise of women's gridiron football". Her Football Hub. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ "Robert Kraft surprises Boston Renegades with a trip on AirKraft to their third-straight national championship game". www.patriots.com. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ "Adrienne Smith sets new WFA receiving standard". Fourth and Feminine. 2022-05-25. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ "Adrienne Smith Is Leading the Way for Women in Football". SI. 2022-06-02. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ backseatcoach (2021-03-10). "On a mission to empower, inspire the next generation of women in football". Boston Renegades Football. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ a b c Thompson, Khari. "Boston Renegades' Adrienne Smith leading 'revolution' in women's football". www.boston.com. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ "Black Women-Owned Card Game Launches NFL Collection". Yahoo News. 2023-08-23. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ Ugboma, Jiji (2022-07-12). "Adrienne Smith, The 5-Time WFA Champion and Harlem Hip-Hop Tours Founder, Eyes Empowerment For Women In Sports and Business". VIBE.com. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
- ^ "Black Women Lead". Greater Grove Hall Main Streets. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Sullivan, Mike (2023-10-04). "Portraits along Blue Hill Avenue honor Boston's Black women leaders". CBS Boston. Retrieved 2024-10-24.