Passion Project

omen’s passion for football runs deep at Slippery Rock University. A lot of it has to do with the Pittsburgh Passion, a professional, full-contact women’s football team that occasionally plays its home games at SRU. But most of all, it’s about the connections that women make at SRU through the grid-iron.

The matriarch is an SRU alumna Teresa Conn, ’86, who started playing for the Passion when the team was formed in 2002, before their inaugural season in 2003 with games played in front of a couple dozen fans at a high school stadium in Belle Vernon. Working as a health and physical education teacher in Edinboro, Conn was driving more than three hours to practices and games.

She became a team captain and the ownership group recognized her commitment to the team, so in 2004 they asked her to become a co-owner, in addition to being a player/coach, a move that would require her to change her career.

“That was a leap of faith,” said Conn, who taught and coached at General McLane High School for 16 years. “A lot of pieces fell into place when I got down there with the people we were exposed to. It turned out to be a really great move. I loved the job I had before, and I’ve loved the last 20 years with the Passion.”

One of those people Conn met was Pittsburgh Steelers hall-of-famer Franco Harris, who joined the Passion ownership group in 2011 and further solidified the team’s prominence. After Harris’ passing in 2022, his widow, Dana, and son, Dok, remain part of the ownership group, along with Conn and Anthony Misitano.

Conn played for nine years, well into her 40s, and became head coach in 2008. She helped lead the team to three undefeated league championship seasons and eight division championships. She was named the Women’s Football Alliance coach of the year in 2024.

Over the years, SRU has been a source for some of the team’s best talent, particularly at the quarterback position.

Like Conn, Lisa Horton, ’04M, was part of the original Passion team in 2003. She played for 15 years, winning four league MVP awards at quarterback and passing for more than 18,000 yards and 250 touchdowns.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Horton, who is now the team’s co-head coach with Conn and its offensive coordinator. “Some of my best friends I made are from playing and coaching for the Passion. The experience and the growth that has happened through those years is just awesome.”

Another SRU alumna, Angela Baker, ’21, played eight seasons as one of the WFA’s top offensive players at receiver and quarterback.

At one point, there were as many as 10 SRU students or alumni playing for the Passion and there are four SRU alumnae on the current roster: Santana Ramsey, ’14; Ellisyn Mularski, ’20, ’23M; Kierra Jackson, ’23; and Nicole Hartman, ’23.

“We’ve had so many players over the years who have come from Slippery Rock,” Conn said. “They turn out to be such a good fit because of the work ethic they have, the passion they have for football, and we’ve just always had tremendous luck with Slippery Rock students in general, whether they are playing for our team or whether they’re interning on our staff. There’s definitely a connection in a way they handle themselves and work hard.”

The players are certainly not in it for the money. Despite being “professional” football, players are required to find sponsorships from businesses and a portion of what they raise helps pay for team operations. Players typically have day jobs and practice in the evenings with games on the weekends from April to July.

“It’s a huge commitment, and that’s why it blows my mind by how much the girls love the game,” Horton said. “You’re asked to attend practices, know the playbook, execute, be in shape, and, Oh, you’ve also got to go to work and feed your child. We have doctors and lawyers and mechanics – a gamut of backgrounds. It truly is a melting pot. But their attitude is the same. We have a tremendous, committed group.”

Horton made sacrifices throughout her career as a player. She worked for the YMCA for 19 years, including five at the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., where she was a project manager and senior director of healthy living, all while making trips back to Pittsburgh for games and practices.

She returned to western Pennsylvania in 2017, working at the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh and rising to the position of vice president of operations. But then, like Conn, she made a leap of faith toward football. After she completed a summer coaching fellowship with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns in 2022, she left her job at the YMCA to pursue a full-time coaching job.

While continuing her coaching role with the Passion, Horton accepted a position at SRU in spring 2023 when head coach Shawn Lutz offered her a job as tight ends/offensive assistant coach.

“This was the time in life I knew I could do it,” Horton said. “You have to put the time in to go to the next level. I have passion for it. I love giving back to the sport. I love teaching it, whether it’s guys or girls, and I like the preparation that goes into it. There’s something about watching the process unfold when you start out with a goal in the offseason and work toward the growth and celebrate the wins. It’s a really cool experience.”

Whereas Horton preceded Baker as the quarterback for the Passion, Horton is hoping to get a full-time job on a college or NFL team, much like the path Baker chose. Baker, who is in her third season with the New York Giants, is among an emerging group of women on NFL coaching staffs. Before the 2024 season at SRU started, Horton completed another five-week fellowship with an NFL team, this time the Dallas Cowboys.

“It’s one thing to be a great athlete and another thing to be a great coach,” Conn said. “Lisa’s been at the top of both. What sets her apart is her passion, her drive, her knowledge and dedication. Every coach dreams of getting a player like her and every head coach or owner dreams of getting a coach like her.”

According to Conn, whether it’s men or women – or coaching or playing – football is a passion that brings people together and teaches them about life and the human condition.

“Football can teach you how to be great at anything,” Conn said. “If it’s a job or being a part of a team or a family, you practice (being great) every day on the football field. It has such a good purpose, because we’re all going to face some big challenges in life – the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job or poor health – and you learn to stand up and surround yourself with people who you know won’t let you quit, who won’t let you fail, and you just keep going.”

That is why it’s no coincidence that the people the Pittsburgh Passion surrounds themselves with are alumnae from SRU.

“We’ve had great support, especially now with Lisa coaching there,” said Conn, mentioning how SRU hosted the Passion for their 26-21 win over the Boston Renegades, June 8, at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. “It shows their support of women’s athletics and helping to grow the program. Along with that, we’ve had some tremendous athletes from Slippery Rock who are passionate about football.”