NY Shark Historic Firsts
The Sharks were the first women’s team to make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio when one of their game balls was put on display in 2008.
The only women's tackle football team to have a retired jersey on permanent display at the Sports Museum of America in Kansas City, MO.
In addition to its on-field success, the Sharks were the first women’s team to play in a halftime scrimmage at an NFL game, televised on January 2nd, 2005 in Giants Stadium when “Big Blue” faced the Dallas Cowboys.
An award-winning documentary entitled “First Down” was produced which followed the Sharks during their very first season in 2000.
The Sharks produced and ran the first ever NFL Junior Player Development program for girls at the Giants practice facility in the spring of 2007. The event was so successful that it became an annual experience for girls in the greater NYC area.
In 2003, Sharks owner Andra Douglas founded a not-for-profit 501 (c)3 organization called the “Fins Up Foundation for Female Athletics.” The mission of the Foundation was to provide opportunities for 13-17-year-old “at-risk” girls to learn essential life skills through the sport of football from NY Shark players who coached the semi-annual camp. The Fins Up! Foundation for Female Athletics changed its name to the Women's Gridiron Foundation in November of 2015.
The Sharks were chosen by USA Football to represent the United States in the very FIRST IFAF Women’s World Flag Football Championships, held in Quebec, Canada in 2008. They were asked to represent the U.S. in 2010 as well.
The City of New York invited the team to city hall for a ceremony declaring August 9th, 2010, New York Sharks Day.
In 2015, the Sharks held the first Hall of Fame induction ceremony honoring former players and staff. This was the first recognition program of its kind in women's tackle football.
On June 11, 2016, an officiating crew from the NFL's W.O.N. program (Women Officiating Now) officiated the NY Sharks vs. Washington Prodigy game at Aviator Sports and Events Center. They were the first all-female crew to officiate a regular season game in the history of women's tackle football.
The Sharks remained frontrunners in Women’s Tackle Football when they became the first team to travel internationally to the Inaugural 2018 Pro Cloud Tournament in Birmingham, England where they defeated the Helsinki Wolverines to win the Championship title.
"Black & Blue: Love, Sports and the Art of Empowerment" was published in 2019, and is the very first memoir-style book about women’s tackle football. The story is based on the New York Sharks and written by the owner and Women's Football Hall of Fame member, Andra Douglas. Currently, the book is in development with Julie Bowen's production company - Bowen & Sons, and Universal Television.
In 2024, a New York Sharks uniform was placed on permanent display in the NFL PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME in Canton, Ohio for their pioneering leadership and accomplishments including many ‘firsts’ in both flag and tackle football.
Owner Andra Douglas sold the team in 2019. Due to their numerous accomplishments, the team’s legacy continues and will be forever regarded as one of the most elite women’s tackle football teams in the world.