Pigskins and Ponytails
The Museum Exhibit
My dad's book about a women's tackle football team that never won a game now has a full exhibit at The History Museum in South Bend, Indiana. Two uniforms. Game footage. The poem. The newspaper clippings. Twenty years of history in one glass case.
Mark Bradford at The History Museum, South Bend, Indiana. March 2026.
Dad —
I'm sitting in Miami Beach looking at these photos and I'm genuinely moved. You wrote a book about a team that never won a game. Most people would call that a bad bet. But you saw something everyone else missed — that the story was never about winning. It was about showing up.
Twenty years later, that story is in a museum. Two uniforms behind glass. Game footage on a loop. Jane Levenhagen's poem on the wall. The newspaper clipping that said “They're in the game.” Your book in the display case.
You spent your career telling the stories of people who didn't make the front page of ESPN. High school soccer players. Women who wanted to play tackle football. A children's book about a girl and an odd duck. You chose the stories that mattered over the stories that sold, and now one of them is in a museum.
I built this page so you can send people a link and they can see the whole exhibit without driving to South Bend. But they should drive to South Bend. They should see the Rockne exhibit and the Blue Sox collection and the Studebaker museum and then they should stop in front of your display case and read that poem.
The proceeds from the book go to this museum. That's the kind of move that tells you everything about who you are.
I'm proud of you. This is really cool.
— Glen
The Exhibit in Photos
Getting into the football stance. The exhibit brings out the competitor in everyone.
The book and the game — South Bend Golden Hawks vs. Cleveland Fusion footage playing on a loop above a copy of Pigskins and Ponytails.
"They're in the game" — the South Bend Tribune's coverage. "Loss cannot dampen women's feelings of pro football."
Jane Levenhagen's poem: "It's a man's game / Yeah that's what they keep telling me / But what they don't understand / Is the level of women's intensity..."
The full exhibit inventory — every item cataloged, from the book to the uniforms to the assemblages on loan from Pam Hall.
What's in the Exhibit
Pigskins and Ponytails Book
2002The book that started it all. Mark Bradford chronicles the origin of the South Bend Golden Hawks football team and the highs and lows the team experienced during the 2003 National Women's Football League season.
Golden Hawks Uniforms
2003Two full uniforms — #28 in blue/gold (home) and #28 in maroon/gold (away) — with helmets and pads. On loan from Pam Hall.
Game Footage
2003Video of the South Bend Golden Hawks vs. Cleveland Fusion, Game 8, playing on a screen inside the exhibit case. The games that history almost forgot.
Newspaper Article: "They're in the Game"
2003"Loss cannot dampen women's feelings of pro football" — the South Bend Tribune coverage of the Golden Hawks, capturing what it meant to these women.
Jane Levenhagen's Poem
2003"It's a man's game / Yeah that's what they keep telling me / But what they don't understand / Is the level of women's intensity..." A poem by Golden Hawks player Jane Levenhagen. Required reading.
Golden Hawks Official Program, Tickets & Ads
2003The original game program with team photos, player bios, and league sponsors. Ticket stubs from games against Cleveland Fusion, Southwest Michigan Blaze, and Detroit Danger. Promotional materials for the team.
Indiana Thunder Uniform & Program
2003A gold football helmet and Indiana Thunder jerseys from the National Women's Football Association 2003 season. The program features a full schedule with player bios.
Assemblages
2002-2003Framed assemblages containing team photographs, tickets, programs, and memorabilia from the Golden Hawks' inaugural season (April to May 2003). On loan from Pam Hall.
By Jane Levenhagen
It's a man's game
Yeah that's what they keep telling me
But what they don't understand
Is the level of women's intensity
The drive to succeed in a way like no other
And a thirst for the game that was denied to their mother
They say you should cheerlead
You can't handle the game
But I've been through it all
I am ready for this
Bring it, tackling and all
Hold off the defense and throw me the ball
It's a man's game
Yeah, that's what they say
I say, “step aside
And let a woman play...”
See the Exhibit
The History Museum
808 W. Washington Street
South Bend, IN 46601
Hours
Mon–Sat: 10 AM – 5 PM
Sunday: Noon – 5 PM
Admission
Adults: $13 · Seniors: $11
Youth: $9 · Under 5: Free
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