72-10 Was the Score. History Was the Story
8/30/2026 1:00:00 PM | Football
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The final score was Jacksonville State 72, Cumberland 10.
But when does the final score tell the story of a college football game?
It was August 30, 2001, and the Gamecocks' season was set to begin in Paul Snow Stadium on a late summer evening in northeast Alabama. It was a warm and humid day with the temperature hovering around 90 degrees. A thunderstorm rolled through the area four hours before game time on the first full weekend of the college football season. The big news in that part of the state was that an F2 tornado had touched down Talladega County earlier that afternoon.
The big news that is, until Jacksonville State's Ashley Martin kicked three PATs in the Gamecocks' victory to become the first female to score points in an NCAA football game. She is one of six females to score points in an NCAA football game. Martin was the second female to score points in a college football game; she was preceded by only Liz Heaston of NAIA school Willamette who kicked two PAT's in a 27-0 Willamette victory over Linfield College in 1997.
Martin-Cockrell, who was a four-year scholarship star on the Jacksonville State soccer team, had no idea she would be called on to kick against Cumberland. She didn't even realize her number had been called to kick the PAT after Carlow James's 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Admittedly, she couldn't see over her teammates to see the signals from the coaching staff.
"I was just there if needed," said Martin-Cockrell. "I was happy to be there either way. It wasn't real to me until my coach grabbed my jersey because I couldn't see the hand signals over all those giant men on the sideline."
Martin-Cockrell split the uprights on her first PAT attempt to give Jacksonville State a 14-0 lead. She added two more PATs during the game with her second try giving the Gamecocks a 21-3 first quarter lead and her fourth quarter try increasing their lead to 45-10.
"I was so relieved because, if you watch the video, it wasn't pretty," said Martin-Cockrell, 25 years after making history with her first successful PAT.
Jack Crowe, the longest tenured and second-winningest coach in Jacksonville State school history, was confident in Martin-Cockrell's ability to help the Gamecocks football team.
"I was completely on board with sending Ashley in to kick extra points," said Crowe." I knew she could do it, I knew she would be successful, and she kicked well. She wanted it so badly for her teammates. When my staff called Ashley's number, there was no hesitation from our sideline."
Martin-Cockrell, who graduated from Jacksonville State in 2003 with a double major in English and psychology, arrived on campus in the fall of 1999 fully intending to enjoy her career as a member of the soccer team. She did just that as she finished her four-year soccer career as a Gamecock with 20 goals and 11 assists, which both rank among the school's all-time leaders in both categories.
While soccer was her first love, she began kicking a football as a junior in high school. During a soccer workout one afternoon, the football coaching staff asked her to come over to the football field and kick before the team came out for practice.
Martin-Cockrell thought the football coaches were just playing around.
It turns out the team needed a kicker.
"I thought it was just a joke," said Martin-Cockrell. "I kicked 14 of 15 through the uprights. That evening, the head coach called my dad and asked if I could join the team. My parents reminded me that I was not asked to join the team to change the dynamic of the game of football or the team. They were wise to remind me that it didn't have anything to do with me as an individual; it was the needs of the team and that I needed to earn my spot and do all that was required.
"My tryout happened on a Tuesday. I kicked in the game on the following Friday after painstakingly trying to figure out where all the pads went in the uniform. I kicked for the football team during my final two years of high school."
As a senior, she was voted as the homecoming queen and accepted her crown while wearing her football uniform.
Martin-Cockrell's collegiate kicking career began in a similar way to her high school kicking career.
With Crowe's office high above the football stadium, he would look onto the field at times to watch the soccer team practice. That's where he spotted Martin, a forward on the JSU soccer team. While he was comfortable with the field range of his scholarship kicker, he wanted to improve the PAT kicking responsibilities.
After Martin-Cockrell kicked in the 2001 Gamecock spring game, Crowe wanted to add her to his preseason roster for the upcoming season. He was unable to because the preseason roster was already at the mandated 95 player limit.
It turns out that during the summer of 2001 the soccer team was having their field resurfaced which necessitated them utilizing the football field for practice in the preseason. Crowe and his staff noticed she was already on campus for soccer practice.
Once the football roster lost one player who didn't report for fall practice, Martin-Cockrell was in Crowe's office hoping to be added to the roster. What Crowe didn't know was that Martin already had her uniform and practice equipment (thanks to Jacksonville State equipment staff) and the blessings of the football assistant coaching staff when she arrived in his office.
It was not long after Crowe and his staff welcomed Martin-Cockrell to the football team that he announced Martin would kick for the Gamecocks. It was a full two weeks before the season opener against Cumberland that Martin finished 2-of-2 on PAT's in a scrimmage to bring her preseason total to 20-of-22.
Not only was she accepted as a member of the team by the coaching staff, but Crowe quickly noticed how quickly she was accepted by her teammates.
Crowe recounted a conditioning drill late in preseason practice which concluded with Martin-Cockrell in the middle of all of her teammates showering her with shouts of 'Ashley, Ashley.' It was then that the head coach knew she had earned her spot on the roster.
"This was of the tougher conditioning drills we had during preseason," said Crowe. "It was at the end of practice; it was hot, and it was designed to teach the players fourth quarter game conditions. I chased Ashley down to tell her she didn't have to participate but she finished stronger than most of her teammates. The reception she got from her teammates illustrated just how tough she was."
Martin-Cockrell welcomed a daily schedule that included practicing with both teams in addition to her junior year class load.
"There was a time in preseason when both teams were in the midst of the dreaded two-a-day practice schedule," said Martin-Cockrell. "I showed up for all practices because I wasn't told to do otherwise. So, for a short time, I was doing four practices a day – two with the soccer team and two with the football team."
It wasn't until the training staff realized that she was participating in four practices each day with the two teams that they tried to limit her daily activity.
"One of the trainers realized I was exhausted because apparently I was very pale," said Martin-Cockrell. "It suddenly registered that both teams were doing two practices a day, which also meant two conditioning practices a day. The training staff tried to pull me from the night football conditioning practice. I refused. I didn't want to be pulled from the line for fear the guys (on the football team) would think I was asking for special treatment."
Martin-Cockrell was a member of the football roster throughout the 2001 season. Because her first commitment was to the Gamecock soccer team, she spent much of her time on the pitch. Martin led the soccer Gamecocks in both goals scored and total points as a junior.
"I practiced when I could and attended as many games as the scheduled allowed," said Martin-Cockrell. "Soccer came first because it was my scholarship sport and was my priority. I tried to be at as many football games as my soccer schedule allowed."
Additionally, she traveled with the football team to road games when her soccer schedule permitted her too. She remembers flying to an away game at least once to meet the football team on the road.
As the anticipation grew for the Gamecocks' season-opener against Cumberland, Martin-Cockrell didn't understand all of the attention being given to the game, besides it being the season-opener for both teams.
"I think JSU as a whole sheltered me quite a bit from the build-up before the game," said Martin-Cockrell. "I didn't realize the kick would be 'historically significant' … or maybe I just mentally blocked it out. Not only were the coaching and athletics staffs protective, but my teammates were protective (and absolutely wonderful) as well. I will always be thankful for their discretion on that."
One thing Martin-Cockrell does remember was coming out of the tunnel for the first time and being surprised by all the cameras and fans in the stadium.
"It was overwhelming," said Martin-Cockrell. "I didn't know why so many people cared about me kicking a football. Some of it was a distraction, but as an athlete at that level, I knew I had to dial in my mental game and focus. The whirlwind of media attention after the game was appreciated but also unexpected. The attention required some adjustments, but I enjoyed the opportunity to represent my team and university."
Martin-Cockrell is now married with three children and is a celebrated law enforcement officer in Lakeland, Fla.
Greg Seitz, who is currently the Director of Athletics and University Vice President at Jacksonville State, managed the media attention focused on Martin and the university like a seasoned-pro.
"I was working as our sports information director at the time, and the media attention surrounding Ashley was unlike anything we had experienced," said Seitz. "Once the significance of what she had accomplished began to spread, the interest in Ashley grew very quickly. We had major national news networks on campus for the game, including ABC and CNN, and the following morning Good Morning America went live from our campus."
Because of the unique scheduling model strategically utilized by Jacksonville State, its game against Cumberland was on a Thursday night. By Friday morning Jacksonville State was in the national spotlight in a way it had never seen before. Seitz and the public relations teams on campus received calls and interview requests from media outlets across the country.
Martin-Cockrell immediately made national news. She flew to New York and was on Regis and Kelly, Late Night With David Letterman and Good
Morning America. She was also featured in USA Today, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, and several magazines including ESPN The Magazine, People, Newsweek, and The Sporting News.
"Watching a story from Jacksonville, Ala. capture national attention the way it did was remarkable," said Seitz. "The following week, I had the opportunity to fly to New York with Ashley and her mother, where she appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly and did two other national television appearances. I'll never forget being on set with Regis and Kelly and then going outside the studio where they kicked a football through a goalpost on 52nd Street in Manhattan."
For Martin-Cockrell, the media attention became one of the most magical moments during her life.
"I met some amazing people and had some amazing opportunities throughout that time," said Martin-Cockrell. "I had a really fun time in New York City. "I flew there to appear on Regis and Kelly. My mom went with me, and it was an amazingly fun adventure that I got to share with my mom. I'll cherish it always. The opportunity to make that trip with my mom, my adventure buddy, was unbelievable."
Martin-Cockrell has continued to lead a magical life. She's a devoted mom to three children who were all star athletes on their own chosen fields of play, as was her husband.
"I don't think my kids think I'm a star," said Martin-Cockrell. "I'm just mom … which, unbeknownst to my kids, is the coolest thing I've ever done and been in life. My children have kept us remarkably busy. I am in awe of my children. They are awesome and are way better than I ever was at both sports and life in general. It's really cool to watch. And to be fair, my husband was a far better athlete than me, so thankfully, they got his athleticism and intellect."
Martin-Cockrell's historic accomplishment is as much a part of her life as it is a part of college football history.
"It comes up from time to time, and I'm often taken aback and reply somewhat bashfully, not from embarrassment but rather because I'm overwhelmed with pride and emotion," said Martin-Cockrell. "It's hard to explain to someone in words how special the opportunity was. The kick was cool but to have the honor of representing such a special university and town, along with an incredibly special group of girls and guys that were my teammates (on both teams), coaches, and friends … it's just a lot to grasp even 25 years later. It seems like no matter what I say or how I respond to someone, when the subject is mentioned, it's not going to do justice to the magic of the moment or the significance of that opportunity in my life."
Seitz began working as assistant sports information director at Jacksonville State in 1993. In 1999, he became Sports Information Director and was promoted to Associate Athletic Director in 2002, before being promoted to Senior Associate Athletic Director in 2011. Seitz served as interim Athletic Director for 14 months leading up to his full-time appointment in 2016.
"When Ashley went onto the field against Cumberland and kicked that first extra point, we knew immediately that we had witnessed something significant," said Seitz. "What I remember most, though, is that Ashley managed the moment like a student-athlete who had prepared for an opportunity and was ready when her number was called."
Perhaps nobody at Jacksonville State University is more suited to speak on Martin-Cockrell's legacy than Seitz, who is in his 33rd consecutive year as a true Gamecock.
"Twenty-five years later, I have an even greater appreciation for what Ashley Martin means to Jacksonville State University. At the time, I viewed it through the lens of someone working in sports information and trying to document a historic achievement. Today, as Vice President for Athletics, I see it as an important part of the history and legacy of Jax State Athletics. Ashley represented Jax State with tremendous class and courage, and she opened a door that helped show young women that opportunities previously considered unavailable could be possible.
"There have been other important milestones for women in college football since that night, but Ashley will always have the distinction of being the first woman to play and score at the NCAA Division I level." said Seitz. "We are extremely proud that moment happened at Jax State. Ashley will forever be a Gamecock."
But when does the final score tell the story of a college football game?
It was August 30, 2001, and the Gamecocks' season was set to begin in Paul Snow Stadium on a late summer evening in northeast Alabama. It was a warm and humid day with the temperature hovering around 90 degrees. A thunderstorm rolled through the area four hours before game time on the first full weekend of the college football season. The big news in that part of the state was that an F2 tornado had touched down Talladega County earlier that afternoon.
The big news that is, until Jacksonville State's Ashley Martin kicked three PATs in the Gamecocks' victory to become the first female to score points in an NCAA football game. She is one of six females to score points in an NCAA football game. Martin was the second female to score points in a college football game; she was preceded by only Liz Heaston of NAIA school Willamette who kicked two PAT's in a 27-0 Willamette victory over Linfield College in 1997.
Martin-Cockrell, who was a four-year scholarship star on the Jacksonville State soccer team, had no idea she would be called on to kick against Cumberland. She didn't even realize her number had been called to kick the PAT after Carlow James's 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Admittedly, she couldn't see over her teammates to see the signals from the coaching staff.
"I was just there if needed," said Martin-Cockrell. "I was happy to be there either way. It wasn't real to me until my coach grabbed my jersey because I couldn't see the hand signals over all those giant men on the sideline."
Martin-Cockrell split the uprights on her first PAT attempt to give Jacksonville State a 14-0 lead. She added two more PATs during the game with her second try giving the Gamecocks a 21-3 first quarter lead and her fourth quarter try increasing their lead to 45-10.
"I was so relieved because, if you watch the video, it wasn't pretty," said Martin-Cockrell, 25 years after making history with her first successful PAT.
Jack Crowe, the longest tenured and second-winningest coach in Jacksonville State school history, was confident in Martin-Cockrell's ability to help the Gamecocks football team.
"I was completely on board with sending Ashley in to kick extra points," said Crowe." I knew she could do it, I knew she would be successful, and she kicked well. She wanted it so badly for her teammates. When my staff called Ashley's number, there was no hesitation from our sideline."
Martin-Cockrell, who graduated from Jacksonville State in 2003 with a double major in English and psychology, arrived on campus in the fall of 1999 fully intending to enjoy her career as a member of the soccer team. She did just that as she finished her four-year soccer career as a Gamecock with 20 goals and 11 assists, which both rank among the school's all-time leaders in both categories.
While soccer was her first love, she began kicking a football as a junior in high school. During a soccer workout one afternoon, the football coaching staff asked her to come over to the football field and kick before the team came out for practice.
Martin-Cockrell thought the football coaches were just playing around.
It turns out the team needed a kicker.
"I thought it was just a joke," said Martin-Cockrell. "I kicked 14 of 15 through the uprights. That evening, the head coach called my dad and asked if I could join the team. My parents reminded me that I was not asked to join the team to change the dynamic of the game of football or the team. They were wise to remind me that it didn't have anything to do with me as an individual; it was the needs of the team and that I needed to earn my spot and do all that was required.
"My tryout happened on a Tuesday. I kicked in the game on the following Friday after painstakingly trying to figure out where all the pads went in the uniform. I kicked for the football team during my final two years of high school."
As a senior, she was voted as the homecoming queen and accepted her crown while wearing her football uniform.
Martin-Cockrell's collegiate kicking career began in a similar way to her high school kicking career.
With Crowe's office high above the football stadium, he would look onto the field at times to watch the soccer team practice. That's where he spotted Martin, a forward on the JSU soccer team. While he was comfortable with the field range of his scholarship kicker, he wanted to improve the PAT kicking responsibilities.
After Martin-Cockrell kicked in the 2001 Gamecock spring game, Crowe wanted to add her to his preseason roster for the upcoming season. He was unable to because the preseason roster was already at the mandated 95 player limit.
It turns out that during the summer of 2001 the soccer team was having their field resurfaced which necessitated them utilizing the football field for practice in the preseason. Crowe and his staff noticed she was already on campus for soccer practice.
Once the football roster lost one player who didn't report for fall practice, Martin-Cockrell was in Crowe's office hoping to be added to the roster. What Crowe didn't know was that Martin already had her uniform and practice equipment (thanks to Jacksonville State equipment staff) and the blessings of the football assistant coaching staff when she arrived in his office.
It was not long after Crowe and his staff welcomed Martin-Cockrell to the football team that he announced Martin would kick for the Gamecocks. It was a full two weeks before the season opener against Cumberland that Martin finished 2-of-2 on PAT's in a scrimmage to bring her preseason total to 20-of-22.
Not only was she accepted as a member of the team by the coaching staff, but Crowe quickly noticed how quickly she was accepted by her teammates.
Crowe recounted a conditioning drill late in preseason practice which concluded with Martin-Cockrell in the middle of all of her teammates showering her with shouts of 'Ashley, Ashley.' It was then that the head coach knew she had earned her spot on the roster.
"This was of the tougher conditioning drills we had during preseason," said Crowe. "It was at the end of practice; it was hot, and it was designed to teach the players fourth quarter game conditions. I chased Ashley down to tell her she didn't have to participate but she finished stronger than most of her teammates. The reception she got from her teammates illustrated just how tough she was."
Martin-Cockrell welcomed a daily schedule that included practicing with both teams in addition to her junior year class load.
"There was a time in preseason when both teams were in the midst of the dreaded two-a-day practice schedule," said Martin-Cockrell. "I showed up for all practices because I wasn't told to do otherwise. So, for a short time, I was doing four practices a day – two with the soccer team and two with the football team."
It wasn't until the training staff realized that she was participating in four practices each day with the two teams that they tried to limit her daily activity.
"One of the trainers realized I was exhausted because apparently I was very pale," said Martin-Cockrell. "It suddenly registered that both teams were doing two practices a day, which also meant two conditioning practices a day. The training staff tried to pull me from the night football conditioning practice. I refused. I didn't want to be pulled from the line for fear the guys (on the football team) would think I was asking for special treatment."
Martin-Cockrell was a member of the football roster throughout the 2001 season. Because her first commitment was to the Gamecock soccer team, she spent much of her time on the pitch. Martin led the soccer Gamecocks in both goals scored and total points as a junior.
"I practiced when I could and attended as many games as the scheduled allowed," said Martin-Cockrell. "Soccer came first because it was my scholarship sport and was my priority. I tried to be at as many football games as my soccer schedule allowed."
Additionally, she traveled with the football team to road games when her soccer schedule permitted her too. She remembers flying to an away game at least once to meet the football team on the road.
As the anticipation grew for the Gamecocks' season-opener against Cumberland, Martin-Cockrell didn't understand all of the attention being given to the game, besides it being the season-opener for both teams.
"I think JSU as a whole sheltered me quite a bit from the build-up before the game," said Martin-Cockrell. "I didn't realize the kick would be 'historically significant' … or maybe I just mentally blocked it out. Not only were the coaching and athletics staffs protective, but my teammates were protective (and absolutely wonderful) as well. I will always be thankful for their discretion on that."
One thing Martin-Cockrell does remember was coming out of the tunnel for the first time and being surprised by all the cameras and fans in the stadium.
"It was overwhelming," said Martin-Cockrell. "I didn't know why so many people cared about me kicking a football. Some of it was a distraction, but as an athlete at that level, I knew I had to dial in my mental game and focus. The whirlwind of media attention after the game was appreciated but also unexpected. The attention required some adjustments, but I enjoyed the opportunity to represent my team and university."
Martin-Cockrell is now married with three children and is a celebrated law enforcement officer in Lakeland, Fla.Greg Seitz, who is currently the Director of Athletics and University Vice President at Jacksonville State, managed the media attention focused on Martin and the university like a seasoned-pro.
"I was working as our sports information director at the time, and the media attention surrounding Ashley was unlike anything we had experienced," said Seitz. "Once the significance of what she had accomplished began to spread, the interest in Ashley grew very quickly. We had major national news networks on campus for the game, including ABC and CNN, and the following morning Good Morning America went live from our campus."
Because of the unique scheduling model strategically utilized by Jacksonville State, its game against Cumberland was on a Thursday night. By Friday morning Jacksonville State was in the national spotlight in a way it had never seen before. Seitz and the public relations teams on campus received calls and interview requests from media outlets across the country.
Martin-Cockrell immediately made national news. She flew to New York and was on Regis and Kelly, Late Night With David Letterman and Good Morning America. She was also featured in USA Today, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, and several magazines including ESPN The Magazine, People, Newsweek, and The Sporting News."Watching a story from Jacksonville, Ala. capture national attention the way it did was remarkable," said Seitz. "The following week, I had the opportunity to fly to New York with Ashley and her mother, where she appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly and did two other national television appearances. I'll never forget being on set with Regis and Kelly and then going outside the studio where they kicked a football through a goalpost on 52nd Street in Manhattan."
For Martin-Cockrell, the media attention became one of the most magical moments during her life.
"I met some amazing people and had some amazing opportunities throughout that time," said Martin-Cockrell. "I had a really fun time in New York City. "I flew there to appear on Regis and Kelly. My mom went with me, and it was an amazingly fun adventure that I got to share with my mom. I'll cherish it always. The opportunity to make that trip with my mom, my adventure buddy, was unbelievable."
Martin-Cockrell has continued to lead a magical life. She's a devoted mom to three children who were all star athletes on their own chosen fields of play, as was her husband.
"I don't think my kids think I'm a star," said Martin-Cockrell. "I'm just mom … which, unbeknownst to my kids, is the coolest thing I've ever done and been in life. My children have kept us remarkably busy. I am in awe of my children. They are awesome and are way better than I ever was at both sports and life in general. It's really cool to watch. And to be fair, my husband was a far better athlete than me, so thankfully, they got his athleticism and intellect."
Martin-Cockrell's historic accomplishment is as much a part of her life as it is a part of college football history.
"It comes up from time to time, and I'm often taken aback and reply somewhat bashfully, not from embarrassment but rather because I'm overwhelmed with pride and emotion," said Martin-Cockrell. "It's hard to explain to someone in words how special the opportunity was. The kick was cool but to have the honor of representing such a special university and town, along with an incredibly special group of girls and guys that were my teammates (on both teams), coaches, and friends … it's just a lot to grasp even 25 years later. It seems like no matter what I say or how I respond to someone, when the subject is mentioned, it's not going to do justice to the magic of the moment or the significance of that opportunity in my life."
Seitz began working as assistant sports information director at Jacksonville State in 1993. In 1999, he became Sports Information Director and was promoted to Associate Athletic Director in 2002, before being promoted to Senior Associate Athletic Director in 2011. Seitz served as interim Athletic Director for 14 months leading up to his full-time appointment in 2016.
"When Ashley went onto the field against Cumberland and kicked that first extra point, we knew immediately that we had witnessed something significant," said Seitz. "What I remember most, though, is that Ashley managed the moment like a student-athlete who had prepared for an opportunity and was ready when her number was called."
Perhaps nobody at Jacksonville State University is more suited to speak on Martin-Cockrell's legacy than Seitz, who is in his 33rd consecutive year as a true Gamecock.
"Twenty-five years later, I have an even greater appreciation for what Ashley Martin means to Jacksonville State University. At the time, I viewed it through the lens of someone working in sports information and trying to document a historic achievement. Today, as Vice President for Athletics, I see it as an important part of the history and legacy of Jax State Athletics. Ashley represented Jax State with tremendous class and courage, and she opened a door that helped show young women that opportunities previously considered unavailable could be possible.
"There have been other important milestones for women in college football since that night, but Ashley will always have the distinction of being the first woman to play and score at the NCAA Division I level." said Seitz. "We are extremely proud that moment happened at Jax State. Ashley will forever be a Gamecock."
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