Description
THE IWFFA – ONU TOURNAMENT
The idea for the IWFFA’s Ada Tournament grew out of a guest lecture that Diane did for my Women’s Sport History class in the fall semester of 2023. When she expressed interest in holding an Ohio tournament, we asked her why not at Ohio Northern University? From there, we talked with ONU Athletic Director Tom Simmons, and Assistant AD Kourtney Wilson, who were also enthusiastic about the event. Andy Wentling of the Wilson Football Factory was also in the meeting and offered support for the women’s flag football. We hope to make this a successful tournament for women and girls to build upon for a great future.
Thomas Simmons – Athletic Director ONU
Serving 24 years as director of athletics at Ohio Northern University.
Simmons is an Ohio Northern graduate, with the B.S.B.A degree in Business Administration (’85) and the B.A. degree in Sport Management (’86). He earned the M.S. degree in Sports Administration from Ohio University in 1987.
Since his appointment in August of 1999, Northern boasts 58 OAC championships and 170 All-Americans across all 24 sports. He has a strong background in sports administration and promotions in professional baseball. Simmons served as General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Class A minor league affiliate in Vero Beach, Florida from 1987-1997. He served as the General Manager of the San Diego Padres Class AA affiliate in Mobile, AL in 1998 and 1999. He received the 1998 Southern League Community Relations Award and was named the 1991 Florida State League Executive of the Year.
Russ Crawford
Helped to bring the IWFFA-Ohio women’s flag football tournament to Ada.
Russ Crawford is Professor of history at Ohio
Northern University. He graduated from Chadron
State College with a BA in History in 1985, and
again in 1991 with a BS in Social Studies
Education. He taught high school in South Dakota
and Iowa. He received his MA in History in 2000,
and his Ph.D. in 2004 from the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln. He has published three books:
The Use of Sports to Promote the American Way
of Life During the Cold War: Cultural Propaganda,
1945-1963(2008), Le Football: The History of
American Football in France (2016), and Women’s
American Football: Breaking Barriers On and Off
the Field (2022).
Diane Beruldsen
President & Founder of the International Women’s Flag Football Association (IWFFA)
First generation flag football player since 1978, then started her first team called the Brooklyn Untouchables in 1979.
She started the Brooklyn Women’s Flag Football League in 1985, then New York Women’s FFL in 1990, Key West Women’s FFL in 1991, Key West tournament In 1992 Diane started what was to become the Kelly McGillis Classic tournament and would become the largest women’s flag football tournament in 2001 with 48 teams (7 were international) registering 1,243 athletes.
The Kelly McGillis Classic helped seed women’s tackle and helped to create the National Women’s Flag Football Association in 1995, then the International Women’s Flag Football Association in 1997. Diane recently became a million-miler traveler flying around the world to build new teams and develop leagues in other countries.
