Athlete of the Week: Melanie McHenry

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - On Friday nights, #10 on the Speedway football team looks like any other kicker, but when you take a closer look; her long blond locks give her away.

Freshman kicker Melanie McHenry decided to go out for the football team after her older brother, a former Sparkplugs kicker, encouraged her to try it out.

“She kicks because she’s the best we have,” said Speedway head football coach Denny Pelley. “There’s no question. The kids know it. She’s so humble; it’s really neat. It’s refreshing.”

McHenry, who also plays volleyball in the fall, admits that there were nerves at first about being on a team with all boys, but the overwhelming support of her teammates kept her going.

“They say if it even looks like anyone is going to tackle me, they’ll all just burst onto the field,” she said.

Coach Pelley adds it didn’t take long for the players to embrace her. He said it started when she kept making the extra points and field goals.

“If she were marginal so to speak, they’d feel differently, but she’s just one of the guys,” said Pelley.

While McHenry thinks she will most likely play volleyball in college, she still thinks about playing football collegiately and professionally at times. She told us she’d love to be the NFL’s first female kicker.