"Way to be an inspiration to other young girls": Fans cheer as Haley Van Voorhis made history as the first female non-kicker to play college football

A new glass ceiling appears to have been broken on Saturday afternoon as Haley Van Voorhis became the first female non-kicker to play in a college football game. A safety for the University of Shenandoah, she was credited by a quarterback hurry in their 48-7 win over Juniata University.

She's 5-foot-6 and 145 pounds, which is pretty small and slim for a football player. Her school is a Division III team, which makes her the first female ever to play in an NCAA football game.

After the game, Van Voorhis told the Washington Post:

“It’s an amazing thing, I just wanted to get out and do my thing. I want to show other people this is what women can do, to show what I can do. It’s a big moment. I made the impossible possible, and I’m excited about that.”

Football fans reacted to Van Voorhis's debut and the barrier she broke in the process.

Others made fun quips of her performance in comparison with the lackluster showing by the Colorado D-line versus Oregon.

Some fans were disappointed by the lack of support shown in the comments to the player.

Others were glad that the first woman to play college football was a cisgender woman and not a transgender woman.

Others thought she committed a penalty on her play.

Some people seemed derogatory of her achievements, even though they never played themselves.

Some were worried about her health, but expressed so on terms that border on misogynistic.

Van Voorhis is not the first woman to play college football

Van Voorhis is not the first woman to play college football at the NAIA or NCAA level, but she is the first one to play in a non-kicking role, which is a huge accomplishment. Especially in a position as physical as safety.

The honor of the first woman to play college football goes to Liz Heaston, a soccer player-turned-replacement kicker for Willamette at the NAIA level in 1997. She scored two extra points in a 27-0 victory over Linfield College.

Katie Hnida was the first woman to score at the FBS level, in 2003. She played as a place-kicker for the New Mexico Lobos. She scored two extra points in a 72-8 victory over Texas State. She was also the first woman to play a Div I bowl game, in the 2002 Las Vegas Bowl against UCLA.