Lois Cook does it for the love of the game

Lois Cook is a star on the football field and a passionate advocate off it, helping grow opportunities for every woman who wants to play.

Lois Cook has always been all about football.

She grew into the game alongside her older brother, who is 11 months older than her. The two siblings did everything together and shared the same friends. When her brother and the neighborhood boys played football, Lois joined in.

“When we first played football, it was the most amazing thing to me,” Cook told FanSided.

At first, no one expected Lois to excel at football, but she thrived in it. The doubts of onlookers hardened into a chip on her shoulder, but Lois welcomed low expectations. She thrived on those, too.

“That went to my head, of course,” Cook said of being underestimated. “So I’m here, I’m like, ‘Oh, okay, I can do this too. And this is so much fun. And I can push and I can pull and I can jump on people and not get in trouble for it.’”

Lois was like the thousands of boys who climb the ranks of PeeWee football, who take out teen angst on the field, who catapult through college into professional careers playing the game they love. The only difference is that Lois was a girl. For a long time, playing football for an adoring crowd wasn’t an option for her.

“When I got to high school, of course I did try to play. That was the first time I was introduced to organized football. And the coach told me straight up that I couldn’t be on the roster, but he did let me come out and practice with the team. And so I did practice for like a week, maybe a week and a half.”

Lois was allowed to practice, but never allowed to compete, never allowed to join teammates on the gridiron. She wasn’t allowed to showcase her talents or help her team win.

Here’s the kicker: Since Lois didn’t fit neatly into gendered expectations about who can and can’t play football, she adapted into the gendered expectations that have surrounded women and football for decades.

“My best friend was a cheerleader. And so I was like, ‘Okay, forget this. I’m not going to do this anymore. They’re not gonna let me play. I’m going to be a cheerleader.’”

Today, things are different. Men enjoy careers as professional cheerleaders; women play professional football. Fortunately, Lois is one of them, because she never gave up on her dream.

“It has been a sport that I’ve absolutely loved my whole entire life. I’ve always been, you know, obsessed and passionate about playing.”

Lois Cook is now a wide receiver for the D.C. Divas in the WFA (Women’s Football Allliance) Pro Division, with eight seasons under her belt. She’s also doing double duty as an executive for the team, while advocating for herself and the rest of the players in the league. This year, she spoke with FanSided about her journey in football and what is still to come.

FanSided: I read that football is the first sport that you ever played. So how did it all start?

Lois Cook: So I grew up with my brother. He’s only 11 months older than I am so we are very close and I did everything he did so his friends were mine, whether he liked it or not. But when we grew up, we played with the neighborhood boys and that was when I first played football. It’s just like the most amazing thing to me and you know the guys didn’t really expect me to do so well, I guess. And so that went to my head, of course. So I’m here I’m like, ‘oh, okay, I can do this too.’ And this is so much fun. And I can push and I can pull and I can jump on people and not get in trouble for it.

And so when I got to high school, of course, I did try to play. That was the first time I was introduced to organizing football. And the coach told me, straight up I couldn’t be on the roster, but he did let me come out and practice with the team. And so I did practice for like a week, maybe a week and a half. My best friend was a cheerleader. And so I was like, ‘okay, forget this. I’m not going to do this anymore. They’re not gonna let me play. I’m going to be a cheerleader.’

It has been a sport that I’ve absolutely loved my whole entire life. I’ve always been, you know, obsessed and passionate about playing.

FS: I know that seems to be a common theme for a lot of female football players is that they were barred at some point. But I did also see that when you were attending Clark Atlanta, you were spotted throwing the ball and recruited to play quarterback for the Atlanta Leopards. So what was it like, after being told no at a certain point to be validated like that?

Cook: Yeah, I mean, my world changed. I had no idea that there was a women’s league and there was even a women’s local team, like I had no clue. But again, like not playing in high school, I think really drew me closer to the game.

So when I got to college, I was literally carrying the ball everywhere I went, I’d throw it around campus. There would be complete strangers across the street. I’m like, ‘here catch the ball,’ and they’d catch the ball, throw it right back. Like I blame all of my classmates and everyone from my school for you know, encouraging this behavior. So one day the security guard, he came up and he stopped me and we just started talking and he actually ended up being the head coach. So recruited me as the quarterback.

My world completely changed. I remember the day that I got my shirt, my first jersey with my name on it. I was just so proud of that moment, it was like a feeling that I really can’t describe. I remember texting it to my brother, and I sent him a picture of it. I’d say look, ‘it’s like I made it.’

FS: It’s like you finally got to do what you loved — I love this my whole life. I’ve been doing it on my own, but I’m actually getting to do it in an organized way. 

Cook: Yes, I was the football girl. I mean everything in school I would have my homework and pages and stuff. And I literally doodle footballs. I went by Lolo. And so the O’s would become a football. So I did the bubble letters L and then a football, an L, and a football. I would write it on the chalkboard, like, you know, that was me. Everyone knew me as the football girl.

FS: Is that how you autograph today?

Cook: No, but I probably should.

FS: So you know you play quarterback and now you’re wide receiver with the DC Divas that makes me think of one of my favorite NFL players — Julian Edelman. I know he played quarterback at Kent State, then transitioned to wide receiver in the NFL. What was that experience like for you changing roles?

Cook: You know, I think it was kind of a natural move. When I came to DC to play for the Divas I was a backup to Allie Hamlin, who is the most amazing quarterback ever in women’s football, so there was literally no chance of getting any playing time. Seriously. I was just the backup. And so I think what happens in practice, I think, naturally kind of spilled over to playing receiver and learning the position and then I just started filling in that role. So it’s a very, very easy transition and a natural one being on offense still. I really enjoy being a receiver. I do not want to be a quarterback. I want to stay on the outside, run my route, catch the ball and go.

FS: I’ve seen you running your routes I mean that footwork is incredible, the separation that you get so well. I think one thing is sometimes we see athletes that we admire. And so in the NFL, I have to know are there any players that maybe you see yourself in or can kind of relate to, who would you maybe say your game is most similar to?

Cook: First of all, I really focused on competing with myself and I want to make sure that I focus on not so much trying to be like someone else but making sure I’m bettering myself with every single play. And that’s my baseline.

But I look at players like Nikki Williams from the DC Divas, was number 88, who’s been a phenomenal, phenomenal wide receiver. Natalie Randolph number 81. She was also an amazing receiver. Ashley wasn’t one who I was able to play alongside and then if you look at the NFL, Art Monk was a great one and Gary Clark. So I do see a lot of qualities in different players that I love and that I do aspire to. But I definitely like to make sure I’m not you know, unrealistic to myself and make sure that I’m taking every step to make sure that I’m doing a better job than I was yesterday or I’m getting better today than I was yesterday.

FS: I think an important part of that is that you were actually training at the NFL Alumni Academy. What’s the support been like in the NFL community and just to have the opportunity to train there?

Cook: You know, when I was selected to go to the NFL, I was just so appreciative. I was so grateful to have the opportunity to be there. And then actually being there was a whole new world to me. It was, completely different than the women’s world. We were straight-up 9-to-5 football.

But just to be there in that space and to be able to learn among some of the most amazing coaches in the game has been phenomenal to me. It has totally elevated my game. What was really great about is that being there, it wasn’t — I was a girl, it wasn’t I was the woman there. I was a coach there. The players addressed me as a coach so you know, the other coaches treated me like one of them and that was what meant everything to me. And I was definitely on like CLOUD NINE for several weeks while I was there. So it was great.

FS: That sounds incredible and just again to be a woman in the sport and get that respect from male athletes is really important. You said recently that your hardest challenge right now is winning over the hearts of people who don’t believe football is for women. Why is that such a challenge and in what ways have you encountered that challenge in your life?

Cook: It’s a challenge because you know, women are not appreciated in this sport, the way that they should be. We play football, we literally play for the love of the game. That’s how, that’s why we play. I mean we go through blood, sweat, tears, I mean you name it, the sacrifices that we make the play and it just hurts a little bit when people are not so supportive of that, when people don’t recognize or appreciate what you’re doing, or try to talk you out of it.

It’s a challenge because we have to grow the game. We have to support our women in society. I mean if you support women in football or in sports in general, all you’re doing is enhancing everyone. I mean, look at what all the benefits that women bring to the table already. So you know, it’s just important that if you don’t like football, you don’t like football. You don’t like women’s football. You know you can watch something else, that’s fine. But don’t try to steer us away. Don’t try to take away a girl’s dream to play just because that’s your limitation. It’s important to change, change the narrative a little bit.

FS: One thing you also said on Instagram is that female athletes must work three times as hard as anyone else. Can you tell me about what those levels are for you?

Cook: First of all, we’ve started behind. Women don’t have a history of playing in this sport. When women play football, they typically start as an adult. So our league is an adult League. So when women get into the game at such a high level, we haven’t had the experience that the men have or that boys have starting out in Pop Warner, or going through school and being encouraged to play and being supported. And one thing I talk about is that, you know in schools, there are a lot of schools today that will not discourage a girl from playing, but there’s not a lot being done to encourage the girls to participate.

And so we’re already starting behind. We’ve got to do a lot to catch up. We’ve got to learn the game very quickly. It seems you know, every season we have rookies come in and who are learning the game from scratch. Then not only that, but getting yourself trained, trained right and getting your body ready for impact and getting your body ready for the game. That takes a lot of work and when you have careers outside of playing football or when you are starting as an adult and when you don’t have the time or the resources to put into it. Now you’re starting behind again. So you’ve got to find ways to catch up.

And then the third piece to it is the mental piece. The most important part is society accepting you to play. And you have all these voices in your head — some amazing, some wonderful, some great, some encouraging, but then you have the negative ones that make you doubt yourself. So it’s really tough, you know, and so women have to have to be really tough to be in this game. And I’m so proud of my sisters in the game and all of the women and the girls who put themselves out there to play because, you know, I think the world will start to see it but there’s a lot that we’re really striving for.

FS: I appreciate you drawing all of that out because we see the final product, we see you cutting your routes and everything we may not realize, you know, the entire lifetime and all that goes into it. And you know, again, the cultural support that makes such a difference and that’s something that women aren’t getting, but you’re helping to change that. You’re not only paving the way as a female football player but also as an executive. So how did you become vice president of the DC Divas?

Cook: I’ve always been a walking talking women’s football advocate. I think that in a lot of ways, I’ve carried myself to that extent, maybe all the way as vice president, but I’ve definitely carried myself to support my team in that way where I’m able to really think about the ins and outs of the organization, the business side, things like that.

So I started out a couple of years ago just really pushing the team to get into the community and start to give back and serve. We’ve always done that, it wasn’t something I introduced but I was definitely encouraging more and more events. So that put me into the role of Director of Community Relations and that was so much fun. Just finding different ways to give back and go to school and visit schools and just teach the game to our younger generation, while also supporting everyone in society or everyone in our community.

And so from there, I think we just naturally moved on. I was able to take on a little bit more responsibility and so here I am. I love it and I appreciate it so much and it’s definitely where I want to be I just do whatever I can do to support my team and to carry them as far as we can go. That’s what I’m going to do.

FS: Honestly there’s a trajectory of your life. I see someone who always put themselves out there and tried, you know, and finally and you’re getting the validation now you know your name is on the jersey. You’re being recognized for your hard work and your talent and I’m so thrilled for you. And speaking of the future I know that women’s tackle football just signed a deal with ESPN, too. So why is this so important?

Cook: You know, you can watch it! like we saw this is amazing. I mean again, this is just another thing that women are who played the game we are really proud of. We play for the love of the game and then to have a platform to just to say look, we made it, look, we’re doing it, you know, look at us now. You know,  we’ve come all this way with nothing, basically, just to be now recognized. Finally, someone, somewhere says you deserve this. That means the world to us,

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and brevity.

Original artwork for this article was provided by Elliot Gerard. Follow him on Twitter (@elliotgerard) and Instagram (@elliotgerard), or check out more of his work at Heartlent Group.