The tradition of football at John Carroll University has just deepened.
John Carroll University is proud to announce that women’s flag football has been added as the university’s 26th varsity sport, marking the third women’s varsity sport that John Carroll has added in the last four years.
Women’s flag football will begin competition in the spring of 2027 at Don Shula Stadium and operate under John Carroll’s football umbrella, offering women the opportunity to build on a rich program history spanning over 100 years.
“We are proud to announce women's flag football as the 26th varsity sport at John Carroll. It's one of the fastest-growing sports across the nation, and high school athletic associations throughout the country have been sanctioning it, including here in Ohio. The time was right for the Blue Streaks to establish this program and provide young women the opportunity to compete on our campus.”
Felicia Teeter will serve as the Head Coach of JCU Women’s Flag Football. Teeter was recently hired as Running Backs Coach for JCU Football and will remain in that role. She previously built Women’s Flag Football programs at Bethel University and Pratt Community College in Kansas.
“I’m very excited to help bring women’s flag football to John Carroll,” said Teeter. “The tradition of football here is extremely special, and adding the flag program allows us to share that with a new group of athletes. I look forward to mentoring and developing them while also demonstrating to them that they can have a future in football.”
After building two programs, Teeter is well-positioned to lead the Blue Streaks.
“Coach Felicia Teeter, our running backs coach, will serve as the inaugural head flag coach and is experienced in building programs from the ground up,” said Polian. “She will be an excellent leader for our first team, and we are blessed to have her. Given our storied history in football and our connections throughout every level of the sport, the decision to start this program was an easy one. We cannot wait to see the Streaks take the field a year from now!"
Women’s flag football is one of the most rapidly growing sports in the country. A total of 39 states offer women’s flag football, including 17 states that officially sanction the sport. The OHSAA announced the introduction of the sport as a sponsored championship event in July 2025. Over 69,000 high schoolers participated in the sport during the 2024-25 season. In Ohio, 121 high schools offer the sport.
At the 2026 NCAA Convention, the NCAA added women’s flag football to the Emerging Sports for Women program. This announcement began the pathway to recognition as an NCAA-sanctioned championship sport. All 32 NFL teams support youth flag football initiatives. Locally, the Cleveland Browns have spearheaded the development of the sport since 2021 alongside Northeast Ohio Flag Football.
At the Division III level, JCU will join several other Ohio schools that have added the sport, including Baldwin Wallace, Mount Union, Wittenberg, and Heidelberg. A host of schools in New York and Pennsylvania also offer the sport.
“Women’s flag football creates new opportunities for students to lead, compete, and grow at John Carroll,” said President-Elect Carolyn Noll Sorg. “We’re excited to welcome these student-athletes into the Blue Streak community and see how they will shape the next generation of our football program.”
Current JCU students or prospective student-athletes who are interested in women’s flag football can learn more and complete our recruiting questionnaire here. Questions can be emailed to wflagfootball@jcu.edu.
