Athletes

They say that movies often reflects real life, and if this is the case, the 1983 television movie entitled "Quaterback Princess," starring Helen Hunt as a teenager who serves both as homecoming queen and football player, serves as a parallel to Andra Douglas' career. However, Douglas tends to downplay her title of homecoming queen, instead focusing on her achievements in football. In 2000, Douglas became one of three female franchise owners in the Independent Women's Professional Football League (IWPFL) when she bought the New York Sharks. In addition to her role as owner/general manager, Douglas has played quarterback with the Sharks. Following the 2004 season Douglas announced her retirement as a player. She finished the year completing 15 of 23 passes and four touchdowns in eight games. In 2002 the team broke new ground in women's athletics by finishing the season undefeated and winning the IWPFL championship game. During the 2001 season, she played in three games, with 16 completions in 22 attempts. She threw for 124 yards, with one touchdown. In addition to her duties with the Sharks, Douglas owns her own company, Nutshell Entertainment. Douglas previously works as the creative director at Money magazine, having gained experience in the industry while vice president at Time-Warner. Douglas is currently awaiting the release of a novel she wrote about her passion for football. In 1980, Douglas played golf at the semi-professional level on the Tampa Bay mini-tour. She received her undergraduate degree from Florida State University and her master's degree in communications design from Pratt Institute. While at Florida State, Douglas played on two national championship women's rugby teams. She is also featured in the Women's Sports Foundation's book "SuperWomen: 100 Women - 100 Sports." (10/06)