Female defensive back earns full scholarship to play college football

A Missouri university signed a female defensive back to play college football, making her the first female non-kicker to sign a letter of intent for the sport, according to ESPN.

Toni Harris signed on to play college football at Central Methodist University in Missouri next season, advancing her effort to one day play in the NFL. She said she has faced opposition in her football career.

"I had a coach tell me before that I would never get to the next level because I was a lot smaller and not as fast as the other guys, so that moment taught me never to give up," Harris told CNN. "From that moment then I told myself no one's ever going to decide what I am going to do with my life. That's my decision."

Harris is 5-foot-5 and weighs 135 pounds. She was featured in a Toyota Super Bowl commercial, in which she discussed how her faith in God has gotten her to where she is.

It won't be her first time playing college football. She played safety for East Los Angeles College in 2018, recording three tackles and breaking up one pass during the team's 4-6 season.

Harris was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 18, which she beat and still managed to achieve her athletic goals, according to KCBS-TV.

"The NFL is the dream," Harris told ESPN. "I'm going to be working toward that until the death of me. Whether I go drafted or undrafted, I'm pretty sure I'm going to keep my faith and God is going to take me there."

Here are some highlights of Harris in action:

Antoinette "Toni" Harris Safety-East LA CC (Female Football Player)youtu.be

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to remove an erroneous reference to CMU as a “junior college.”