Former UNM football player Katie Hnida has been named one of 30 Most Influential Women in College Sports. She was named no. 18 on the Sports Management Degree Guide list.
Hnida is the first and only female to ever score in an FBS Division I football game. In 1999, she became the first female to dress out for a bowl game, and became the first to play in one when she attempted UNM’s first extra point in a 27-13 loss to UCLA in 2002 Las Vegas Bowl.
In the 2003 season opener against Texas State, Hnida became the first female to score in an FBS game when she hit an extra point after a Hank Baskett touchdown with 5:05 left in the game. She tacked on her second extra point with 1:21 to go for the final tally in UNM's 72-8 win over Texas State. Her uniform and appropriately, her kicking shoes are now on display at the College Football Hall of Fame.
She also became the first woman to play professional football when she kicked for the Ft. Wayne Firehawks in 2010.
Hnida graduated Magna Cum Laude from UNM with a degree in Psychology in December 2004. She also wrote a book about her experiences called, “Still Kicking: My Journey As the First Woman to Play Division I College Football.”
Her post UNM career has seen her become a highly regarded motivational public speaker who works with many organizations that work to combat violence against women, including The Voices and Faces Project, The Joyful Heart Foundation and Counter Quo.
Hnida has also been on numerous television and news programs, including Larry King Live, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning and ESPN, as well as national magazines such as Sports Illustrated, Glamour, People, The New York Times, USA Today and the Washington Post.