Rush Oak Park Hospital Nurse Makes U.S. Women's National Football Team

A nurse on Rush Oak Park Hospital's Telemetry unit is one of the best female running backs in the nation.

Four years ago when Brandy Hatcher moved to Chicago for graduate school at Rush University Medical Center, she decided to try out for the Chicago Force women's tackle football team. The Michigan native made the team and had the opportunity to learn from two of the best running backs in the league. Now, she's one of them: This summer she's heading to Finland to compete on the women's national team in the second International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Women's World Championship.

Hatcher said she was ecstatic when she learned that she made the national team.

"I was actually really bad at football when I started. I couldn't run backward. I couldn't catch with a helmet on," she said. "It's so hard because it's not something you do as a girl growing up."

When she learned that tryouts for the national team were taking place in January in Austin, Texas, she said she wasn't going to go due to cost and work commitments. But her unit director and coworkers encouraged her to make the trip, helping her adjust her work schedule so she could give tryouts a shot.

More than 200 women tried out, 25 of whom were running backs competing for four spots.

"I didn't really think I would make the team," Hatcher said. "I'm not your traditional running back." She said her field vision—her ability to look in front of her and see what cut to take—differentiates her from the pack.

"I'm definitely not the fastest or the strongest out there, but when you know where to go, it helps."

Congratulations to Hatcher, and best of luck in Finland!