SLAM Stories - SLAM in the Media, Community, and Off the Field

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6/17/2008 - SLAM Step it Up to Undefeated Season, Beat Comets

SLAM Step it Up to Undefeated Season, Beat Comets

The St. Louis SLAM took the field Saturday night with one goal in mind, a victory that would give the team its first undefeated season in its history. NWFA North Conference powerhouse the Columbus Comets took the field to avenge its only loss of the season at the hands of the SLAM. When the dust settled, the SLAM achieved its goal and a third straight playoff birth by pounding the Comets 48-23.
A determined Comets team won the opening toss and scored on the opening drive of the game. SLAM defensive back Laure “Frenchy” Gelis-Diaz intercepted a pass to set the SLAM’s first touchdown of the night. Caroline Ogunware scored on a 7 yard run and Frenchy knotted the score at 7 with the extra point. The first quarter ended in a 7-7 tie.
The SLAM exploded in the second quarter scoring 21 unanswered points. Wide receiver Gail Graff started the scoring barrage hauling in a 15 yard pass from quarterback Liz Lacy. Running back Pat Riggins broke tackles and spun away from defenders for a spectacular 30 yard run, and Toya “Turtle” Brown ran around the right end for the 2-point conversion to put the SLAM up 21-7.
With less than a minute left in the first half the Comets went for a first down conversion on fourth and one. SLAM nose guard Myrt Davis forced a fumble on the quarterback sneak. Defensive end Elizabeth Williams came out of the pack with the football and rambled 69 yards for a defensive touchdown. Frenchy kicked the extra point to put the SLAM up 28-7 at the half.
The Comets closed the scoring gap in the 3rd quarter with a field goal. On the kickoff, Graff returned the just past mid field. On the first play from scrimmage Riggins took the hand off and exploded up the middle into and beyond the Comet secondary for a 49 yard touchdown run to push the SLAM lead to 35-10.
In the 4th quarter Chris Hampton scored by powering over the right side of the line on fourth and goal from the 2 yard line. Rookie Danielle Cullen topped off the SLAM scoring with a 10 yard run. On the night the and behind an aggressive offensive line the SLAM rolled for 292 rushing yards.
The defense, led by middle linebacker Kelly “Koz” Kozlen with 12 tackles, forced the Comets to turn the ball over 4 times on the night. Linebacker Tiarra Pettis had 11 tackles and hauled in her first interception of the year while Frenchy had 11 tackles to go with the early interception. Jarius Miriama recovered a fumble while Robin Morrow and Ogunware had 2 pass deflections each.
The SLAM as a bye the 21st of June, the last week of regular season play. The playoffs begin Saturday June 28th and it is possible the SLAM will have a first round bye. Playoff information will be announced once posted by the league. For more information on the playoffs, tickets, statistics and SLAM events please visit the SLAM website at www.stlslam.com.

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5/29/2008 - SLAM Shoot Down Memphis Belles 42-0

SLAM Shoot Down Memphis Belles 42-0

Saturday night the St. Louis SLAM, St. Louis’s women’s full contact football team, pushed its record to 5-0 downing an inspired Memphis Belles team 42-0. After a defensive stop, the SLAM offense took over and scored on its first possession of the game when Toya “Turtle” Brown capped the drive around the right end. The extra point kicked by Heather Patterson was good and the SLAM went up 7-0.

The Belles, though unable to get its offense on track against a SLAM defense that allowed only 47 yards total offense on the night, put up a defensive fight in the first half. The SLAM scored again in the second quarter behind the determined play of the offensive line and running backs Pat Riggins, Caroline Ogunware, Turtle Brown and wide receiver Gail Graff. Turtle Brown finished the drive on a sweep to the left and delivered a punishing blow on the 2-point conversion to put the SLAM up 15-0 at half time.

The SLAM scored on its first possession of the second half after a long drive capped by a rush by Caroline Ogunware. Patterson’s extra point was good. The SLAM leading 22-0 began to roll. The SLAM passing game, which was a vital part of moving the ball all night, got into the scoring act when Quarterback Liz Lacy connected with receiver Gail Graff deep in the endzone.
Pat Riggins, the SLAM’s rushing work horse on the night, found the endzone in the 4th quarter and was also successful powering her way into the endzone for the 2-point conversion. Tight End Chris Hampton hauled in a pass from Lacy and rumbled in for the score to punctuate the air barrage and put the SLAM up 42-0.

The SLAM’s bone crunching, smothering defense was again led by linebackers Kelly “Koz” Kozlen, Tiara Pettis, and Jairus Mariama. Robin Morrow hustled and covered on a SLAM kickoff, and Kozlen pulled down her 4th interception of the season to keep the ball in the SLAM’s possession.
The SLAM returns home on Saturday May 31st to host conference rival the Chattanooga Locomotion. All home SLAM games are played at CBC High School at 1850 De La Salle Dr. Kick off is at 5:00pm. For more statistics, ticket and game day information please visit the SLAM website at www.stlslam.com.

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5/20/2008 - SPECIAL TEAMS AND DEFENSE SPARK THE SLAM AND SILENCES THE STORM

Special Teams and Defense Spark the SLAM and Silences Storm
Week 5 Results: St. Louis SLAM Wins Again, 54-0

After a week off the St. Louis SLAM took the field with a vengeance and beat the injury depleted Kansas City Storm 54-0.

The Storm won the coin toss but chose to defer to the second half. Toya “Turtle” Brown took the opening kick off and behind a wall of SLAM teammates went 78 yards for a touchdown that set the tone for the game.

The Kansas City running game was stymied by an aggressive SLAM defensive line. The pressure applied by the defensive line led to a fumble recovered by linebacker Chris Hampton deep in Storm territory. QB Liz Lacy connected with Katie Ode for a 20-yard pass reception and Ode’s first career touchdown. When the Storm tried to pass for a first down on their next possession, Hampton took away the passing lane, intercepted the pass and took it in for the third SLAM touchdown of the night. Lacy would later connect with Gail Graff for her second passing touchdown of the day.

Defensive tackle Tina Washington had a sack and a fumble recovery that set up first rushing touchdown of the night for the SLAM. Pat Riggins scored 2 touchdowns on 2 carries. LaCreisha Lane powered over the right tackle and scored her first career SLAM touchdown. Lacy also ran for a touchdown, a 1 yard scamper on a broken play.

The Kansas City Storm players put on a gutsy performance and at no time were taken lightly by the SLAM. For the SLAM defensively, Kelly “Koz” Kozlen led the team in tackles and pulled down an interception which set up a touchdown. Jarius Mariama recorded a sack and Robin Morrow had a pass deflection to keep the Storm in check.

Next, the SLAM travels to Memphis Tennessee to take on division opponent Memphis Belles. The SLAM returns home on May 31st and host conference rival the Chattanooga Locomotion. Kick-off is at 5:00pm @ CBC High School. For more statistics, schedule and game day information please visit the SLAM website at www.stlslam.com.

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5/6/2008 - SLAM Get Huge Road Win, Beat Locomotion 24-7 Hide Expand

4/29/2008 - SLAM DOWN MEMPHIS BELLES

SLAM DOWN MEMPHIS BELLES
Week 2 Results: St. Louis SLAM Wins Home Opener, 51-0

The St. Louis SLAM brought women’s full contact football back to St. Louis for the 2008 season by playing its first home game Saturday night and downing the Memphis Belles 51-0.

The SLAM’s ball-hawking defense, led by Kelly Kozlen with 14 tackles, recorded its first shutout of the season. They allowed the Memphis Belles just one first down on the night while recording 5 more sacks on the young season. Leading the sack attack was Liz Williams with a sack and a half. Kozlen, Jaruis Mariama and Myrt Davis recorded a sack a piece, while Tiffany Carter combined with Williams for a half of a sack. Rookie Melissa Hazelwood pulled down the first interception of her career while Robin Morrow added 6 solo tackles.

The SLAM offense found high gear as it rushed and passed for 468 yards total offense on the night. Quarterback Liz Lacy connected with both veteran and rookie receivers to complete 10 of 20 passes for 199 yards and 4 touchdowns. Backup QB Melissa Hazelwood stepped in late in the 4th quarter and threw a 9 yard touchdown on her only pass attempt to Chris Hampton to top off the SLAM air assault. Chris Hampton caught 4 passes and crossed the goal line 3 times for 73 yards, while Gail Graff hauled in 4 passes for 98 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Katie Ode caught her first 3 passes of the year, and rookie Caroline Ogunware, playing her first game of the season, ran under a 20 yard pass for a touchdown for her first career touchdown.

Pat Riggins led the SLAM 260 yard rushing attack with 116 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. Veteran Toya "Turtle" Brown scored her first rushing touchdown of the season, and fullback Jacki Ray powered her way over the goal line for her first career SLAM touchdown. Caroline Ogunware also had 3 carries for 71 yards.

Next, the SLAM travels to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to take on the also undefeated Locomotion Saturday, May 3rd. For more statistics, schedule and game day information please visit the SLAM website at www.stlslam.com.

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4/21/2008 - SLAM Earns Huge Road Win to Open 2008 Season Hide Expand

4/8/2008 - Washington University Alumni Coach the St. Louis SLAM in 2008

Washington University Alumni Coach the St. Louis SLAM in 2008

This season, Washington University alumni are providing a new level of excellence for the St. Louis SLAM women’s professional full contact football team. As the team prepares to open the 2008 season, former Washington University football players, Quincy Davis and Reggie Crume, head a new coaching staff. Head coach, Quincy Davis (Washington University class of 2002; computer science and marketing major), brings a new level of intensity to the SLAM. As a football player and track and field athlete at WU, Coach Davis was successful in his own athletic career. He was part of a WU football team that won UAA Conference championships in ’99, ’00, and ’01, in addition to an NCAA playoff berth in ’99. As a high school football player at Ladue High School, he led his team to the Suburban East Conference championship in ’96 and ’97. As defensive coordinator of the SLAM in 2007, Davis led his defense to five shutouts in only eight regular season games, and the team posted its best regular season record in the history of the franchise at 7-1.

Reggie Crume, a former WU football and baseball player, was a great addition to the SLAM coaching staff in 2006. With the departure of former head coach and offensive coordinator, Rodney Lacy, for a high school head coaching position in Chicago, IL, Crume takes over responsibilities as offensive coordinator in 2008. Crume (WU class of 2003; major in communications) still holds the WU punt return record in football with 464 yards in 2001. He also holds the stolen base record in baseball with 30 stolen bases. As a member of the SLAM coaching staff, Crume brings a winning attitude and knowledge of the game to the team.

The SLAM opens its 2008 season in Columbus, Ohio, on April 19th. The SLAM regular season home opener is April 26th when the Memphis Belles come to town. Kick off is set for 7:00pm at CBC High School at 1850 De La Salle Drive. Tickets are $10, $8 for seniors, $5 for children. For more game day and ticket information please visit the website at www.stlslam.com or contact the SLAM at slamfootball@hotmail.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact: Inge Metcalfe
General Manager
618-541-7526
314-991-4120 ext 135
slamfootball@hotmail.com

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4/3/2008 - St. Louis SLAM: Meet and Greet 4/7 (6-8pm) Hide Expand

2/7/2008 - A Passionate Player ([ http://www.komu.com/satellite/SatelliteRender/KOMU.com/ba8a4513-c0a8-2f11-0063-9bd94c70b769/f6b9396c-80ce-0971-013f-60a678782983] ) Hide Expand

12/5/2007 - SLAM GEAR UP FOR UPCOMING SEASON Hide Expand

6/28/2007 - SLAM Has Unlikely Leader In Playoff Game ([ http://www.ksdk.com/sports/sports_article.aspx?storyid=99414] ) Hide Expand

6/22/2007 - Kirkwood High Grads Take To Gridiron ([ news06-22-2007.htm] ) Hide Expand

6/19/2007 - Lutheran Grad Tosses TD in Saturday`s win ([ news06-19-2007.htm] ) Hide Expand

6/15/2007 - Unlikely odyssey to Slam ([ news06-15-2007.htm] ) Hide Expand

2/14/2007 - Tom Terbrock and his dad hang out with two members of the St. Louis Sl ([ http://www.971talk.com/Glover/stlslam.aspx] ) Hide Expand

8/14/2006 - St. Louis Slam Makes Leaps Towards Viable Franchise ([ http://www.ksdk.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=101874] ) Hide Expand

7/23/2006 - SPECIAL K: Former Fox star Kelly Kozlen emerges as ([ news07-23-2006.htm] ) Hide Expand

6/14/2006 - Where the Boys Aren’t ([ news06-14-2006.htm] ) Hide Expand

6/7/2006 - Kelly Kozlen ([ news06-07-2006.htm] ) Hide Expand

4/14/2006 - Women Tackle Football ([ http://www.ksdk.com/sports/sports_article.aspx?storyid=95229] ) Hide Expand

4/22/2005 - She`s a Grade-School Teacher by Day, a Linebacker

April 22, 2005
By Jonathan Kay
Of the Post-Dispatch

Middle linebacker, meet elementary school teacher. Teacher, linebacker. Linebacker, teacher. Now play nice.

Inside Kelly Kozlen, the forces of her two occupations might not combine to play nice, but they do play together.

Defensive end Robin Morrow, Kozlen`s best friend, tells of a game in the St. Louis Slam`s inaugural National Women`s Football Association season of 2003, when Kozlen sidelined multiple opponents with vicious, though legal, hits. Afterwards, Kozlen went to the opposing bench to offer assistance and apologize.

"She felt bad the whole rest of the day," Morrow said. "And then she`ll say, `But I laid her out.`"

Like many of her teammates, who range in age from 22-45, the 27-year-old Kozlen works with children. She teaches third and fourth grade math at Monroe Elementary in St. Louis. On the field, the Slam`s defensive captain fits the role of third-generation linebacker - energized and foul-mouthed, thriving on the sport`s brutality.

"I was the other son my dad never had, because my brother never played football; he played soccer instead," said Kozlen, whose father and grandfather played in high school. "I enjoy hitting. I enjoy the contact. I know that sounds crazy. I`m an elementary school teacher, you know?"

But "Crazy Koz," as she affectionately is known, has led the Slam in tackles in each of the team`s first two seasons in the league.

Home opener
The Slam will host its third season`s home opener, at 7 p.m. Saturday against South West Michigan at Central VPA - formerly Southwest High. After a 20-0 loss to Kentucky in last week`s season opener, the Slam will introduce their new pro set offense to the home crowd.

Hoping to pound opposing defenses with a power running game, coach Rodney Lacy has replaced one of the wideouts from last year`s four-receiver offense, with a fullback. His choice for that bruising back was Kozlen. She will not miss any time at linebacker as a result.

"She had a couple of interceptions and fumble recoveries last year, and when I saw her with the ball, she has the mentality that she doesn`t run away from anybody," Lacy said. "She tries to run through them."

Along with her too-hot-for-print jokes and the dozen Krispy Kreme donuts she consumes on each bus trip - "She doesn`t need the sugar," team owner and general manager Nancy Simonds said - "Koz`s Kids" have become a Slam staple.

At Monroe, Kozlen rewards classroom achievement and good behavior with stickers, which can be cashed in for rewards. Chuck E. Cheese`s and Six Flags are popular destinations for the grand prize winners. But football practice and football games are more coveted.

"They want to see the schedule so they can plan," Kozlen said. "`Oh, Miss Koz, you`ve got a game on Saturday. Can I do something for some stickers? Can I sweep the floor? Can I get an extra homework sheet?`"
Some students throw a football on the sidelines during Tuesday and Thursday night practices. During games, they serve as water boys and girls, or they run out to grab the tee after kickoffs.

"She`s trying to give them an opportunity to see things out of their closed environment," said Lacy, a physical education and health teacher. "Taking them out to those games and those practices allows them to see that there is more than just their little street or their little community.

"Everybody will really make the kids feel part of the team. And that`s what the kids want."
No profit, no pay

"Koz`s Kids" are among the 600-800 fans (that`s Simonds` estimate) who come to each Slam home game. The players do not get paid unless the team turns a profit, and last year the Slam missed breaking even by about $6,000, the cost of the team`s preseason trip to Toledo, Ohio.

"I own a contracting business, and that`s what supports football pretty much," Simonds said, laughing. "You know, `Hurry up and get a couple of kitchens done before this next game.`

"We don`t sell raffle tickets, we don`t do bake sales. A lot of the other teams do a lot of that stuff. I`m from the school of thought that, you know, they`re here to play football and learn football. ... It`s semi-professional. You don`t sell raffle tickets."

Parity in the 36-team NWFA is comparable to the divide between Major League Baseball`s clubs. The Slam, Simonds said, is a smaller middle-market team. The team has a roster of 33 and practices on a field behind East St. Louis` Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center. It has been a scramble for Simonds to find a place to play home games each year. Meanwhile, the Detroit Demolition fills out a 55-woman roster, and the D.C. Divas practice at the Washington Redskins facilities, Simonds said.

Simonds coached the team the last two seasons, but she attributes much of the team`s improvement from 3-5 in 2003 to 5-3 last year to Lacy`s arrival as defensive coordinator. Lacy had experience coaching contact, while Simonds` experience had been with flag football. Lacy introduced an emphasis on leverage to improve tackling, and he replaced flag football mentalities with a more contact-conducive game plan.

"A lot of (the Slam`s players) came from a rugby background and a soccer background so they had the physical mentality," said Lacy, whose wife, Liz, is the starting quarterback. "I think I helped them understand how to use their physicality, how to put it in motion."

Said Kozlen: "No one understands until they watch us play. We`re not college or NFL-caliber, but it`s football."

Surely there still are skeptics, but they have stopped approaching Simonds. For those who might question the intensity, Kozlen demands it from her teammates.
"Sometimes, you have to get a little crazy," she said.

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4/20/2005 - St. Louis Slam Set to Take the Field

April 20, 2005
Rick Crossin
Of the Suburban Journals
Oakville-Mehlville Journal

When it comes to football, the only time the public has seen a woman on the field has been at the kicker position.
But the St. Louis Slam are trying to change all of that.

The Slam, a women`s professional football team, have entered their third season of play under new owner Nancy Simonds.
"One of the biggest reasons I got involved with the team is because I played flag football for years and loved it, but had to stop because my knees were too bad," Simonds said. "I have a desire to let women play full contact football and that`s what the team provides."

Simonds is a former head coach of the team, but when the funding fell through, she stepped in.

"They didn`t have anyone to own it in 2002 when I bought it," she said. "I own my own contracting company and I thought this was something I really wanted to get involved in."

The Slam fell to the Kentucky Karma in their first game of the season over the weekend 20-0, but will return home this Saturday night to face the Southwestern Michigan Jaguars.
The team calls the former Southwest High School fields home and ticket prices range from $10 for adults, $8 for students and $5 for children under the age of 12.

Season tickets are $35 for adults and $18 for children. The team will play four games at home, including Saturday night`s contest.

"That`s a big part of this, keeping ticket prices low," Simonds said. "I came from a big family, so I know that it`s a lot of money to go to some games. We want to keep things affordable and not break the bank for people to come to the game."

The head coach for the team this year is Rodney Lacy, who has someone familiar to talk to at the quarterback position in his wife Liz.
Certainly that makes for some interesting conversation at the dinner table.

"We talk about football a lot," she said. "It`s nice because both of us are so connected with the team that we really can have some real good conversations about the team."

Of course, this is Liz Lacy`s first season at the quarterback position, a far cry from playing wide receiver last year.

"It`s definitely a tough position," she said. "You have to know everything out there, all the plays, everything. The offense goes through you, so it`s a lot of things to remember."

This is the third year for the team, which finished 3-5 the first season, 5-3 last year and is aiming for even better things in 2005.
"The learning curve is a little better now," Simonds said. "Three years into it, I think the team itself is getting better and hopefully we can show that this year."

Lacy said the one part of the game that was the toughest to get used to was the hitting.

"When you get hit the first time, it`s a real shock," she said. "No girls sport out there right now has this kind of contact, so it took some real getting used to on that part."

And the team gets plenty of time to get used to hitting, as the Slam practices three times a week. That is tough on players that have other obligations.

"All of these players have full-time jobs too, so it`s a long week for some of them," Simonds said. "But the majority of our players are from the metro-St. Louis area, so it`s easier to get here."

And Lacy is getting tired of practice and is ready for the games to begin.

"We`ve been practicing for three months now," she said. "I think we`re all getting tired of hitting each other and want to get out there and hit someone else."

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