Not Just Another Football Game As Chicago Public League Female Coaches “Break A Glass Ceiling” In Historic Matchup

By Dominic Scianna

History wasn’t lost on Jouscelyn Mayfield and Konesha Rhea as they came to midfield for an emotional embrace after their Fenger and DuSable boys high school football teams’ September 15 clash at Gately Stadium. 

The score was insignificant to both as the two trailblazers went down in Illinois high school boys football history, and quite possibly national folklore, as the first black female head coaches to compete against one another on opposing sidelines in boys football.

“There are no losers,” Mayfield said to a slew of local TV and print reporters after her Fenger Titans defeated Rhea’s DuSable Panthers 50-0 in Chicago Public League (CPL) play. “That scoreboard doesn’t tell the importance of what happened here tonight.”

What happened was a “glass ceiling was broken” as Rhea (nicknamed Coach K) called it, and opportunities for female coaches and players to compete in football in Illinois alongside their male counterparts are now possible. 

“It’s a lot to take in with all the press and the emotions. We have small programs and we’re not used to this,” Rhea admitted. “All the attention is a good thing if it inspires the next woman or women to be head coaches. CPS has a lot of female football assistants and hopefully this will give them inspiration.”

“I’m a city girl from Chicago and it means a lot. It’s an honor to be a part of history in my hometown,” Mayfield noted.

These CPL Blue Southeast conference rival teams with identical 1-3 records are approaching the midway point in their regular seasons, but the memories won’t fade from this game anytime soon.

The win for Mayfield (nicknamed Coach Knikkie) was her first as a high school coach and led by a Rodney Evans (sophomore QB/FB) who scored three touchdowns, and Kentrell Johnson (senior WR) who chipped in with two TD’s in the victory.

“This doesn’t happen without Coach K. There is no me without her,” Mayfield acknowledged about her good friend Konesha. “She’s the one who encouraged me and got me started believing that I could do this.”

The game drew not only widespread traditional media attention but was trending on several Twitter social media accounts as “HERstory accomplished” – yet in reality it was their story (Coach Nikki and Coach K) that played out to a Chicago Public School network and Chicagoland community. 

A story that inspires and joins sports with a drive and dedication to succeed exhibited by two role models making a difference in the lives of young athletes in Chicago. The hope is that the foundation has been laid for this generation and future generations of aspiring female coaches and players to follow their road map to success. 

Rhea said the struggle to be taken seriously as a female football coach was real, but that didn’t discourage her and made her want it even more. So, the message for those who may be avoiding the spotlight and are too shy to come forward and participate. 

“Go get it,” Rhea noted, with tears welling up in her eyes during a postgame interview. “That’s what I would say to women interested in coaching and playing football. If we can do it, so can you

**Please find additional media features below on this incredible story!