Woman of Substance

Cynthia Bryant is a Hall of Fame football player, and a beacon of strength. Just ask her grandkids.

Dear Readers: Thank you for visiting Coffey Grounds. In almost a year and a half of writing this Substack, the story that follows is one of my favorites. It’s about a woman who plays football, but it’s really about hope and self-acceptance. I hope you enjoy it. Please consider becoming a paid subscriber, so I can keep pieces like this coming. Thanks, as always, for reading.

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Cynthia Bryant is a 52-year-old grandmother who has worked for more than two decades at an alternative high school in her hometown of North Minneapolis, nurturing and counseling kids. Her title is Student Engagement Team Manager. Her mission is to forge a connection with young people, many of whom are dealing with major socioeconomic, familial or educational challenges.

“I feel like in the world today hope is fading away in so many parts of life,” Bryant said. “I try to teach kids that what’s going on around them doesn’t define them. My goal is to give people confidence to believe in themselves and do something they never thought they could do.”

Bryant’s students could not have a better role model for self-belief, or doing the improbable.

How many grandmothers do you know who play professional football? Who are in the Women’s Football Hall of Fame? Whose physique, and competitive M.O., harken back to the one-time cultural icon and Chicago Bear, William (Refrigerator) Perry?

For literally half her life – 26 years – Cynthia Bryant has been playing defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vixen, No. 96 in black. The Vixen are in the top tier of the Women’s Football Alliance, which has teams in 60 cities around the country in three divisions. She has been named the league’s best defensive lineman a dozen times and been recognized as one of the league’s standouts from its inception in 1999. At 5-feet, 8 inches and 307 pounds – a fact she has no hesitation in sharing – Bryant is a hulking presence in the middle of the line, commanding double teams and using her football smarts to plug holes and anticipate where plays are going. Her durability is as remarkable as her longevity; she has never had a single surgery. It is not because she is cautious.

“She has one of the kindest hearts I’ve ever come across,” said Nadine Schmidt, a close friend with her own sterling athletic resume, having led North Dakota State to two women’s NCAA Div. II basketball championships before becoming a champion bodybuilder. “But you don’t want to be across from her on the football field, because she will smash you.”