Rae Jefferson practically lived on the football field this spring.

Which is all good by her.

Jefferson served as the Hopkins girls flag football coach in its inaugural season, spending three days a week leading practice and Sundays on the sidelines for games. Thursdays meant coaching the Royals, then swapping out her whistle and clipboard for pads and a helmet, suiting up for Minnesota Vixen football practice. Saturdays are Vixen game days.

As both a player and a coach, Jefferson dedicated hours of energy and time to the sport she's most passionate about. She knows firsthand the opportunities in athletics are not always presented equally for young men and young women, and she's committed to making a change.

"Sports often aren't encouraged for women the same they are for men," she said. "[Men] are 'supposed' to like sports [and opportunities are plentiful]. Whereas for women, you often have to go find that opportunity. Now we're bringing it to them. I love that I'm able to be a part of it, and I hope I can just continue to create opportunities for these young women on my team and continue to support them."

Jefferson is thankful to the Vikings — and the NFL as a whole — for emphasizing girls flag football and truly making the sport accessible to anyone, regardless of gender.

"When I see that NFL shield, that is the highest level of the most elite players, the best league, saying, 'We've got you. Here's the opportunity,' " she said. "The amount of time, effort and money the league is putting into women's flag, it's huge. We need support. We need that logo on there, because we need to see where we can go."

From Pei Wei to Italy: Jefferson's football journey

She doesn't remember his name, but she'll never forget what he told her.

After playing in her high school's powderpuff football game, Jefferson was approached by the head coach of the boys varsity football team.

"He said, 'You can throw. Do you want to come play for us?' "

The impact of that invitation? Lifelong.

Jefferson never did suit up for the boys team — her parents and basketball coach wouldn't allow it — but she's forever grateful for the football coach's belief in her.

"He told me, 'I know they're not letting you, but you can do this.' And it stuck with me," Jefferson said.

"A lot of times, as women who are athletic and have these abilities, we might get told, 'Oh my gosh, you're the best woman I've ever seen play football,' " she said. "But what was so different and unique about this coach was that, I'd heard I was good before, but he was the one who said, 'It doesn't matter that you're a girl; you could play with these boys. He supported me and wanted me to suit up. That was the difference."

Jefferson has been in love with the game of football ever since she can remember.

Growing up outside Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, she spent Sundays with her dad and brothers watching the Cowboys play. She still remembers the Roger Staubach poster that hung in the garage among pennants and photos of Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith.

She remembers sitting in the bleachers of her older brothers' football games, the adrenaline coursing through her body a sign she longed to be on the grass.

"I'd watch him pancake dudes and step over them, and I was just like, 'That's my brother!' It was really cool," she laughed.

Jefferson was an athlete herself, playing anything and everything she could: basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball and even trying a brief stint as a cheerleader. But organized football never was an option for her; football was for the boys.

She found ways to satiate the craving she had for the sport, including countless evenings (oftentimes as the only girl) playing pickup games with the neighborhood kids.

Jefferson often received praise for her athleticism, and she went on to play basketball at the D2 college level.

Still, it wasn't enough.

It wasn't until after college when she found her way back to the football field.

Jefferson had been struggling to find her way, to decide on next steps, and found herself working at a local Pei Wei most evenings.

She one night served Dennis Freels, the founder of Flag Football X, and she'd never look back.

Freels invited Jefferson to suit up for a game, and the details of that matchup remain etched in her memory: stacking the defensive back and meeting eyes with the QB (Freels), tracking the pass overhead and reaching out in-stride to haul it in one-handed.

"That was my first catch with Dennis. He was like, 'Yeah, you're on our team now,' " she laughed.

Jefferson found joy again.

She continued working at restaurants to make ends meet, fitting in shifts around her football schedule, but soon realized she needed a better financial plan. So, Jefferson enlisted in the United States Army.

For 10 years, Jefferson served in the military — where she met her husband — and didn't play football. Her service ended in 2020, when a medical condition was discovered that required Jefferson to have her aortic heart valve replaced. Her husband opted to re-enlist at that same time, however, and his assignment took the couple to Italy.

"When we got to Italy after my surgery, there was this newfound, 'Hey, I don't have a lot of time left [to be active]. It was really difficult, and I'll have to have another heart surgery eventually, so the clock really started ticking for me," Jefferson said. "I couldn't find any football, so I started playing basketball in Italy … but then a guy started a flag football league on base.

" 'It's not going to be Army-affiliated. We're going to try and play in the Italian league,' he said. 'Like, do you want to come play?' And I said, 'Yeah, I want to play,' " Jefferson recounted with a smile. "And it just took off. It was huge for a while. It got super competitive … and reignited that passion for the game for me."

Putting on pads

Jefferson made up her mind to never give up football again.

"It was like, 'No, I want to do this for real, for real,' " she said.

Jefferson traveled around Italy playing football and competing in different tournaments, including a national tournament back in the United States.

And as much as she loved flag, Jefferson continued to feel that tug to put on pads on a helmet. So when she heard the Women's Football Association was holding an international combine in Amsterdam, she hopped on the two-hour flight.

"I played in one game, and I'm obsessed. I'll forever be in tackle football," Jefferson said, beaming. "I love it. It's everything I wanted."

So … how did Jefferson end up in Minnesota?

Football. As simple as that.

"I'm literally here to play football," she smiled. "My husband was getting out of the military at the time … and we kind of had the world at our hands.

"We actually were gonna go to Michigan. We had an offer on a house, but then I got in touch with the Vixen and talked to [Head] Coach Connor [Jo Lewis], who is absolutely incredible — the best coach I've ever had — and I told my husband, 'We might have to take back that offer on the house in Michigan.' "

The response? "Let's do it."

"I didn't know what the future would hold, but I knew that I had opportunity here, and that's really the main thing," Jefferson said. "For a long time, I never thought it was attainable, no matter how much I wanted it. There was this pause, this [hesitation], 'Is it even worth it? What are you doing?' And it is finally attainable.

"Not just football, but women's sports — it's growing to the point where we can have those dreams, and we can say, 'Yes, we can go and do this and do something with it,' " Jefferson continued. "And it's because of all of the women that have put in the work before us; we wouldn't be here without them."

Football has become another extension of Jefferson's family.

"I really did feel like I was the only one who loved football this much because I hadn't found that group of people. And now every day, I get to go be around at least 50 people that are just as obsessed with the game — and who have overcome even bigger obstacles than I have," Jefferson said. "We've got a girl from the Czech Republic who works [midnight] to 9 a.m. in order to play. She had never been to the United States. Her parents had never been on a plane, and [they came] from Prague … just to watch her play.

"You have players who work on a normal day shift, but when the season comes around, they switch to the night shift just so they can make practices, just so they can make games," Jefferson continued. "You've got people who will help teammates out who don't have the financial ability to even have gas in their car. I mean, we've got teammates that are willing to say, 'Here's gas money. Just get to practice. Just come here.'

"I've said this before, but practice saves so many of us. It's not just the games; it's the camaraderie," she added.

It's part of why Jefferson loved coaching the Royals this spring: to introduce young women to the same camaraderie and team aspect she so deeply appreciates.

As she reflected over the 2025 high school season, in which an incredible 51 teams participated, Jefferson is optimistic about the future of women's football — whether flag or tackle.

"I always say flag is for my ego, tackle's for my soul," she laughed. "Flag is so much fun and flashy, and you get to do cool stuff, and you're [less likely to get] hurt, right? … But with tackle, 'You've gotta be ready. … I don't know how to explain it. I just love tackle football so much. I'm just so grateful.

"And with flag? This is just the beginning," Jefferson added. "Being in the Olympics in 2028, having college scholarships, things like that? This is real — we're making it into a women's sport, and it's going to keep growing."