Wake Forest Ladies Football Clinic is a big hit again even if there is no hitting allowed (2024)

Redshirt freshman Micah Mays couldn’t help but chuckle about what his mom, Rachelle, said about what was coming in the 24th Wake Forest Ladies Football Clinic.

The clinic, which was started by former coach Jim Caldwell several years ago, has been a constant summer hit and Coach Dave Clawson has embraced it in his 11 years in Winston-Salem.

As Micah, a wide receiver, was talking about his mom’s athletic ability – she was a sprinter in high school and competed in the long jump – she couldn’t resist some trash talking. “You might even see that I have better hands than him,” she said.

The clinic, which had nearly 140 women, was a behind-the-scenes look at what the players do from August through December. Well, it had almost everything.

“There will be no contact at all,” Clawson stressed in the posh team meeting room at the McCreary Indoor Football Complex. The event raises money for Wake Forest’s Coaches Kids Program, which gives underprivileged children tickets to all the sporting events on campus. It’s a great cause, and it’s great fun for Clawson’s coaches and his players.

With his tongue firmly planted in his cheek Clawson said: “This clinic sets the tone for our season.”

Clawson’s executive assistant, Kate Ruley, works hard each summer on making the clinic a success. Clawson lauded her efforts and the efforts of his entire staff.

“When we first got here 11 years ago, we had 24 on staff and now we have 48, but a third of that are women,” Clawson said. “That’s a big increase and that’s not just here at Wake Forest.”

Clawson also got a chance to brag about his program’s 97% graduation rate and a cumulative 3.3 GPA last year.

“We are still in the business of being a true college program that graduates players,” Clawson said, despite what’s out there in college athletics with the transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness.

The women get a chance to see the locker room area and they all got to put on a jersey before going upstairs for a meeting.

As offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero was going through the three plays they would get a chance to run, he mistakenly said “he,” but was quickly corrected by his wife, Jenn, who was also participating.

It’s also no surprise that when Ruggiero asked the women what “RPO” stood for, it was answered quickly: “Run, Pass Option.” It’s also no surprise one of the plays the women ran in one drill was an RPO play.

After the meeting they were divided up into six groups and went through stations on the indoor practice field.

Laura Kotz, a grandmother from Greensboro, and her husband are season ticket holders. Kotz said she hoped that by the end of the night, she would be able to go home and give her husband some football knowledge.

“He wanted me to come and just see what it’s all about,” Kotz said. “Just seeing the facility has been tremendous.”

Also going through the drills with a smile on her face was Rev. Madeline D. Gray, who is the mother of athletics director John Currie. She was asked if she was a Wake Forest fan. “I’m required to be,” she said after catching a pass in one of the drills.

Defensive lineman Jasheen Davis was a part of the clinic for the first time and loved what it does for team morale and for the community.

“This is a good little Tuesday night for us and for the women who came out here,” Davis said. “I feel like it’s good to have this community engagement.”

When told about the money raised from the event goes towards underprivileged children so they can attend Wake Forest sporting events, he smiled broadly.

“It’s a blessing in itself to be able to give back to this Wake Forest community,” Davis said.

Mays’ mother, Rachelle, was excited about going through the clinic with her son because she had wanted to do it last year.

“My flight (from Florida) was delayed, and I didn’t make it here in time a year ago,” she said. “This is exciting. I’ll get to see what he does every day.”

Running back Tate Carney said the reason for putting on the clinic is a good one because it helps children get to see games at Wake Forest.

“Not everybody can buy tickets, so we want the community involved and this is a way to do it,” Carney said.