Ladies take to the gridiron for Homecoming bout

Pendleton High School’s normally tame female population put aside their minis, midis and maxis for oversized jerseys and pants on Oct. 12, 1970, to show their male counterparts just what girls are made of during a ladies-only football game at Pendleton’s Round-Up stadium.

Two teams, Krout’s Crusaders and Johnson’s Baby Power, fought with all the scruples of cornered alley cats during the Powder Puff football game held in conjunction with Homecoming festivities at the high school. The determination and killer instinct were so palpable that many pro linebackers would have passed on tangling with the tiny but terrifying players. But instead of tackling and wrestling each other to the ground, the competitors had to be (mostly) satisfied with yanking ribbons from each other’s belts.

Fierce competitors battle for supremacy during an Oct. 12, 1970, Powder Puff football game at Round-Up stadium in Pendleton (EO file photo)

And what convinced the ladies to shuck “sugar and spice” for jerseys and flags? “Cause it’s rough!” said Edith Hoptowit.

Sally Simpson agreed. “Feminine sports aren’t rough enough.”

“Fun to get out and grub around,” said Liz Morrow.

Abby Hagen put a political spin on the event, adding, “Women are being liberated everywhere else.”

Another competitor, sporting a bruise, commented that you can’t judge a book by its cover. “Some of the girls carry on in the halls at school like something fragile. But put them in a pair of pants out here and brother, they’re tough!”

Krout’s Crusaders won 30-6.