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#9 Ivy Tillman, LB For each one of us there is a line of demarcation in life, a point from which there is no return. Whether intended or accidental, planned or unexpected, it is typically a dramatic transition. From that juncture onward everything is completely different. Divas linebacker Ivy Tillman remembers her moment vividly. “Putting on the (football) pads for the first time was truly awesome. It was just like putting on roller skates… you're just not sure what to expect.” The year was 2001, the inaugural season of the grand experiment known as the D.C. Divas. Full-contact women’s football had existed for several years, but a professional team in the nation’s capital was something of an oddity. The endeavor was completely new and different: a curious spin on the traditional notion of female athletics.
That fear should have been reserved for the opposition: Ivy soon evolved into a player who thrived on contact. “I am actually not a very physically aggressive person, so the first time, I hit someone, I was very surprised how hard I hit without really trying.” Although Tillman possessed the physical attributes to be a proto-typical linebacker, the decision to play defense occurred almost by happenstance. “I intended to try out at the wide receiver position, but the line was too long. So I moved to cornerback, which is where I began my career.” During those first two years spent in the defensive backfield she led the team in tackles, an unheard of accomplishment for a cornerback. The Divas coaching staff soon recognized Ivy’s talent and tenacity; a move to outside linebacker quickly followed. Tillman thrived playing closer to the line of scrimmage, but it took one more position switch, this time to middle linebacker, for a true star to be born. “Ivy has punished our opponents for seven years,” explains long-time friend and teammate Allyson Hamlin. “She has such a rare combination of power, speed, instinct, and understanding of the game. The interesting thing is that as hard as she hits, she gets no pleasure from it. Her motivation is solely to stop the play and help the team win.” The classic personification of a middle linebacker is that of a remorseless enforcer, who survives on a steady diet of ten-penny nails and raw-meat. In truth, Ivy is the antithesis of that stereotype. “I would not consider myself a typical linebacker, because I am very mind mannered off the field. However, part of having compassion, is being passionate. Believe me, I am passionate about playing football.” Hamlin, the Divas veteran quarterback, whole-heatedly agrees. “When you think of the personality of a middle linebacker on the field, you think of a caged animal, but Ivy is as poised as they come. I have never seen anyone run through people with such dignity and grace. I have never known anyone who approaches every aspect of life with a more positive outlook. Ivy is one of the greatest people I have ever known. You aren't going to find a better teammate and you aren't going to find a better friend.” Those sentiments are echoed in Tillman’s vocational choice. For more than a decade Ivy has worked for the Fairfax County government as a Court Liaison with the Department of Family Services. At times it is difficult, selfless work, but Ivy wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s what I was born to do. Working with people is a never-ending roller coaster, like being at an amusement park everyday. I try to stay on an even keel, because of my faith and my ability to always be hopeful. At the point that I lose hope, I will switch professions.” With such a demanding occupation, Ivy has found a much-needed, cathartic release with the Divas. “Football, especially defense, is a game of reaction and short term memory, both of which seem to be strengths of mine. On the field, I quickly learned that power and speed are a lethal combination. Hence the nickname ‘Poison Ivy’.” Now it has become a fitting moniker, but Tillman hasn’t always embraced the play-on-words. “It's funny, when I was growing up, kids called me that and I hated it. They said they couldn't play with me, because if they got too close they would catch Poison Ivy. Now, it has become a term of endearment. It’s music to my ears!” It’s been a long journey from childhood, both personally and athletically. Tillman has always had a fondness for organized sports: she was a multi-sport athlete in high school and a member of the track and field team at James Madison University. After earning her Master’s Degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1999, Tillman happened upon an advertisement for a women’s flag football team, the Virginia Badd Girls. She responded almost on a whim. “I was just looking for a way to stay in shape, (but) I had never played a lick of football, except for a powder puff game in high school.”
Despite the humbling nature of that indoctrination Tillman was absolutely hooked. “I really owe my success in tackle football to my flag coaches, (former Detroit Lion) Carl Carr and Mario Reynolds. They took the time to teach me the technical side of football.” Two years later Tillman began her tackle football career, under the tutelage of a new mentor, Divas Head Coach Ezra Cooper. For Ivy, the lessons learned extend far beyond the complicated X’s and O’s of the playbook. “We as individuals play our best, for the benefit of the team. We are here for each other on and off the field. We have experienced success together, we have experienced tragedy together, we have experienced adversity together, and we have sacrificed together. The most important part of it all is that we have experienced all of these things together.” In an era filled with self-aggrandizing, showboat prima donnas Tillman’s commitment to the team concept is a refreshing departure. It’s an attitude certainly not lost on her football colleagues. “Ivy is not only the cornerstone of our defense, but in many ways, she is the face of the D.C. Divas,” says Head Coach Ezra Cooper. “She understands and appreciates what it takes, not only to win, but to maintain a first class organization. Without her, this organization would look very different. She is irreplaceable." Divas General Manager Rich Daniel earnestly concurs. “Ivy Tillman represents the finest women’s football has to offer. She is a woman and a great football player who constantly wants to be better. A teammate who leads by example she is a first ballot Hall of Fame type individual. The good Lord blessed us with Ivy.” The accolades are a testament to Tillman’s individual character, and to her ability to dominate on the football field. A team captain and a multi-time defensive MVP, she has missed only one game in her illustrious seven- year career. For her excellence, both on and off the field, Tillman was recently selected as a John W. Posey Award recipient from the prestigious Pigskin Club of Washington. “Being honored by the Pigskin Club has been the highlight of my football career, other than the first time I stepped on the football field to play in my first game,” Ivy humbly recalls. “To be placed in the same company of pioneers of the game is awe-inspiring. I become overwhelmed with emotion when I think about it. I consider it another victory for women… ultimately, it was confirmation, that women can play football and be good at it.”
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At first even Tillman’s family didn’t quite know what to expect. “My brother was extremely supportive from the beginning. My dad thought I was trying out for professional flag football. My mom was a little more leery, but my whole family became my most supportive fans…after they saw that I didn’t break in half.” 
“I am also rewarded with the little successes that I experience in my job: a family thanks me for helping them, a child is diverted from the foster care system, or a child in need is placed with a loving family. There is no better feeling in the world, knowing that I was a part of that.” 
The try-out quickly disintegrated into a lesson in humility. “The coach had me run around, attempting to catch some balls,” Ivy recalls with a laugh. “I was horrible and I'm not sure why he kept me, but he did. I guess he saw some potential.”