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These 7 women prove tackle football isn’t just for men.

They’re students, nurses, project managers, foster care workers, lab managers, moms … and professional badasses.

By

Nathan Sorensen

Miranda Munson is a deputy sheriff in Oklahoma. She’s also an international league football player.

The 36-year-old specializes in criminal investigations, focusing mainly on crimes that take place in Tulsa’s biggest jail, the David L. Moss Criminal Justice Center, which she describes as “a city within itself.”

To unwind from her day job, she needs hobbies: the St. Louis Cardinals, her friends and family, her Belgian Malinois, and Baxy — an old partner from when she was on the K-9 unit.

And then she has football.

Munson and Erica Alford, an offensive guard. Photo via Miranda Munson, used with permission.

Munson is a football player for the Tulsa Threat — Oklahoma’s only all-women tackle football team.

Yes, it’s tackle football. No, these women do not play in their lingerie.

Munson is among the more than two dozen women ages 18 to 40 on the Tulsa Threat, which has recently joined the Independent Women’s Football League.

Photo via Tulsa Threat, used with permission.

These women are students, registered nurses, project managers, foster care workers, lab managers, occupational therapist assistants, machinists, soldiers, moms, and accounting specialists.

Photo via Tulsa Threat, used with permission.

On the side, they — like hundreds of women across the nation — play their hearts out at the highest level of football women can play, all while virtually no one watches. This means the women often need to buy their own pads and cleats, pay their own way for travel games, and pitch in to help rent high school football fields for weekend games.

Photo via Tulsa Threat, used with permission.

Despite the challenges, women like Munson continue to play for a number of reasons — including the example they set for the next generation.

“It’s cool to show some of the young girls that there’s something for them to play when they’re older,” Munson said. “And when you put those pads on, you feel like you have a responsibility to those young girls watching.”

Photo via Tulsa Threat, used with permission.

Although they still have small followings, the fan base seems committed. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, the number of young girls participating in high school tackle football saw about a 17% increase from 2007 to 2011, with 1,561 girls participating. While that growth rate seems to have stalled (the NFSHSA shows about the same number of female football players last year), it’s hard not to see women’s tackle football getting bigger and more popular in the coming years based on growth to date.

But at this point, there’s no real prospect to make a career out of it. So what’s the motivation?

This is why these seven women play football. (Hint: It’s not the money.)

1. Miranda Munson, Tulsa Threat (IWFL)

Photo via Miranda Munson, used with permission.

“I started because I had friends who played, and I grew up playing soccer. I missed playing on a team, and I wanted to learn something new and challenging. They practice for hours at a time, multiple days a week. They get sore, pull muscles, tear tendons, bleed, and break bones for this game and often still have to work and live their lives.

I have the utmost respect for not only my teammates, but any woman who puts pads and a helmet on and walks out on that field to do their part to further this sport. We also get to change the way little boys and girls see women’s athletics. It’s a wonderful feeling and worth the risk.”

2. Callie Brownson, D.C. Divas (Women’s Football Alliance)

Photo via Callie Brownson, used with permission.

“I will admit, in my first couple years, I played for myself and to fulfill my needs. But as I grew up and grew in the sport, I realized the doors that we could open for women and little girls. If I have a daughter someday, I don’t want her to feel like in order to be a woman in sports, education, or in her career she has to exploit herself physically, but rather be judged by the person or athlete she truly is. Playing women’s football has created that trail to blaze, where we have the opportunity to tweak society’s views of a ‘powerful female.’ This is not a feminist movement or a ‘men think they’re better than women’ movement — but rather an opportunity to seek equality.”

Brownson, 26, is from Mount Vernon, Virginia, and has played six seasons with the D.C. Divas and one season with Team USA in Finland (which won a gold medal).

3. Mia Brickhouse, Boston Renegades (WFA)

Photo by Nadine Jehnich, used with permission.

“I’ve played tackle football for 13 years. I started playing when I was in law school at Villanova, as an outlet. I continue to play to set an example for those small girls like Sam Gordon, who may one day get the chance to play in high school and college. These days I’m co-owning because I know how tough it is to provide opportunities for women. I’m lending my professional experience to help out my passion.”

Brickhouse, 36, is an attorney and former athletic administrator for the Big East Conference. She is currently the COO of Boston Women’s Football, LLC, and co-owner of the Boston Renegades.

4. Stephanie Jackson, Acadiana Zydeco (WFA)

Photo via Stephanie Jackson, used with permission.

“I play football because this is what I’ve been sent to Earth to do. It is my gift, and I love doing it. I love the contact, the camaraderie, the lessons to be taught. I love everything about the game of football. How a new ball feels, the smell of autumn, which means it’s football season, the sheer fact that football is the most complete team sport on the planet. I love it all.

These days, I play for the Acadiana Zydeco in Louisiana, and my goal is to bring women’s football to the world. One day, we will pack stadiums and people will pay good money to see us play. That day will come. It is inevitable, and I will be right in the midst of it all.”

Jackson, 27, is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is working on a masters in business administration at Louisiana State University. She currently works as a personal trainer.

5. Brittany Bushman, Dallas Elite (WFA)

Photo via Brittany Bushman, used with permission.

“Football is by far my favorite sport, but throughout my career, I have experienced pushback and adversity. For obvious reasons: I am female.

Constantly hearing those typical sayings: ‘Girls don’t play football; it’s a man’s sport,’ ‘Girls are not physically capable of playing football,’ ‘Girls should be on the sideline in a skirt.’ The criticisms go on and on.

But my women’s tackle football experience has been one of the most influential and remarkable endeavors of my life. Today, I’m surrounded by 50 empowered women, willing to sacrifice time, money, family, and jobs for the sport they love. We are making history, changing minds, and giving hope to a younger generation!”

Bushman currently plays for the Dallas Elite. She is a four-time All-American and was a member of Team USA in 2013. She is also an eighth-grade science teacher and an assistant coach for the varsity basketball team.

6. Ursula Johns, Arkansas Wildcats (WFA)

Photo via Ursula Johns (right), used with permission.

“It makes me feel great. Those five words have so much meaning behind them. Playing a game of football, no matter if I win or lose, makes me feel like I just hit a grand slam with the bases loaded. It makes me feel like there’s three seconds on the clock and they just passed me the basketball. It makes me feel like I won the 100-meter dash by 0.001 seconds — the feeling is indescribable. I love to play because it gives me the feeling of being a part of something that’s so much bigger than myself.

However, it does make me sad and a little bit discouraged that countless others and myself go out 10 Saturdays out of the year and play like there’s no tomorrow only to hope and pray that someone watches.”

Johns, 27, from Shelby, Mississippi, is a biological science aid for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She lives two and a half hours away from where the Wildcats play but has said would never miss a game.

7. Jessica Collins, Tennessee Legacy (U.S. Women’s Football League)

Photo via Jessica Collins, used with permission.

“You would never know how much fun it is getting hit or hitting somebody else until you get out there and play. There’s just something about putting on the pads, uniforms, and cleats that gets you excited. Another reason why I play is to show the boys that I can beat them playing their game. It gives me great satisfaction to beat them and gloat a little bit afterwards.

One of the biggest obstacles in women’s football is getting fans and getting our game out in public. Most people don’t know that there are women teams around the country, even overseas.

I also play because I want to inspire younger girls that you can do anything you put your mind to. Don’t let gender roles get in your way. Just be yourself and do what you feel in your heart. Don’t let anybody tell you can’t.”

Collins, 26, is a detention officer and also a referee. This has been her third season with the Legacy. She also travels two and half hours from Mississippi to play in home games and go to practice.

Will the leagues catch on? It’s hard to say. But the effort matters.

Photo via Tulsa Threat, used with permission.

In our modern world of Abby Wambachs and Ronda Rouseys, surely women’s professional tackle football playing on ESPN isn’t so difficult to imagine?

Let’s hope these women can inspire a movement, or at least open people’s minds to the idea.

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    Photo credit: Canva – Desperate mom gives herself an emergency C-section, saving both of their lives
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    She told her kids to get help before passing out.

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    Bringing life into the world isn’t always as joyous as the media portrays. Several parents come through childbirth with physical, mental, and emotional trauma. But even among the most traumatic deliveries, the birth story of Inés Ramíez, a mother of nine in Mexico, likely catapults to the top of the list of the world’s most traumatic births.

    The International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics reveals in a case report originally published in December 2003, that a 40-year-old mother of nine gave herself an emergency cesarean section and lived to tell the tale. This wasn’t a self-inflicted operation to test her fortitude and pain tolerance. This was an act of desperation, utilizing different areas of personal experience to guide her actions.

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    Living in an extremely rural area with little access to everyday necessities, Ramíez was accustomed to seeing goats slaughtered for food. This knowledge came in handy when she went into labor with her ninth child at home with no other adult around to assist. When her labor stalled, showing the same signs as her previous pregnancy that ended in a stillbirth, the mom became desperate. According to the report she gave the hospital, she knew she had to get the baby out quickly, so she took three shots of hard liquor and cut into her belly. Ramíez’s husband was away deer hunting with no idea what was going on at home.

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    A post shared by Shannon M. Clark, MD, FACOG (@babiesafter35)

    “She did a right paramedian incision vertically to gain access to her abdomen, so likely she entered somewhere near the midline between the rectus muscles, and then she cut her uterus in the same direction and delivered the male fetus. She didn’t report a lot of bleeding, but having done these a gajillion times, incisions that are up and down, either right to the side of the belly button, or above it, or below it, actually do not bleed very much because you get right in between those rectus muscles, and you avoid a lot of vessels that way,” Clark explains.

    It took her about an hour to complete the emergency surgery. Before passing out, likely from pain and shock, she directed one of her children to get her cousin, who is a local health assistant. The cousin arrived to find the mother still passed out with a gaping wound. Being that the community is so rural, her cousin didn’t have proper sutures, so she used a regular sewing needle and cotton thread to close the mother’s abdomen. The cousin then transported Ramíez in her car to the nearest clinic, 2.5 hours away, to stabilize her before continuing the drive to the hospital, which is eight hours away.

    After making it to the hospital, the doctors there were able to perform surgery to make sure nothing was amiss. They repaired her uterus and abdomen 16 hours after she performed her own C-section with a butcher’s knife. The mother healed well, leaving what appears to be a thin scar about six inches long next to her belly button.

    People who watched Clark’s video can’t fathom having the strength to do the same thing, with one woman writing, “I’m a nurse and I don’t think I could do this to myself. To someone else, maaaaaybe, but I’m not sure. The nurse who came out and used a needle and thread to sew this lady up was also incredible.”

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    Newborn baby. Photo credit: Canva

    Another says, “Well, when you’re on pregnancy number 9 you’re pretty much a professional. Whatever brand of liquor she drank should hire her to advertise. Never underestimate the power of love, adrenaline and survival instinct.”

    Even doctors are impressed: “I have to say, as an OB I am extremely impressed at how straight and nicely done her abdominal incision was.”

    This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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    Man who raised and released an orphaned otter films her swimming to his kayak for cuddles

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    However, Janzon had never raised an otter before and didn’t know what to do. He was scared, as Leya needed care around the clock, but she began to thrive and quickly bonded with him. She would cry when he left the room and curl up in his lap to feel safe.

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    Leya followed Janzon everywhere. Soon she became part of the family, which included another rescued crow and a cat. The animals would play hide and seek, chasing one another around the bushes. Janzon says it was like something out of a children’s storybook.

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    People love seeing Leya’s bond with her human and Janzon’s peaceful videos that seem like something out of a dream:

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    “You are so lucky to be friends with a cute otter who also gets to live her own life. She chooses to be with you. “

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    Leya and Mats hanging out in his kayak. Courtesy of Mats Janzon

    Mats says Leya is officially living her wild life now.

    “I last saw Leya at the end of May,” Janzon tells Upworthy. “Initially, we thought she’d find her own territory before winter, but after several long trips, she chose to stay under the house while the lake was frozen. When spring arrived, she resumed her search, staying away for up to 10 days before returning for brief visits, lasting a few hours to a day. Her last visit was unusually long, over a week. I suspect she may have been pregnant, eating heartily to prepare for a longer stay in a new territory farther away.”

    Janzon wants people to know that as much as he loves Leya, she’s not a pet. “When an animal trusts you, it creates a bond deeper than words can explain,” he told SoulPaws Tails. “If you’re thinking of adopting or rescuing an animal, especially a wild one, please do it with your whole heart and full responsibility. Do your homework, talk to professionals, ask questions, learn everything you can about animals like Leya. They aren’t pets. They’re living, feeling souls that deserve to be loved and respected for who they are.”

    You can follow Mats Janzon and see more videos of Leya on TikTok.

    This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.

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    Romania celebrated him. Local and regional officials honored Cristian at a ceremony at the Dolj County Prefecture. He received diplomas, a bicycle, a tablet, and a monthly stipend from the Artego Humanitarian Foundation through the end of 2013. Most significantly, county officials pledged support for the thing he said he actually wanted: to become a firefighter. As Alina Ionescu, director of the County Directorate for Sport and Youth, confirmed to CVL Press at the time, the institutions were committed to helping him pursue that path. Cristian is also the only civilian ever to receive the emblem of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, Romania’s highest emergency services honor, as reported by Romanian press in 2021.

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    Malala Yousafzai’s brother reveals beautiful sentiment about living in his sister’s shadow

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    Malala Yousafzai most certainly has a lot of light. At the young age of 11, she began advocating for education for girls after the Taliban took over her district of Swat in Pakistan. About three years later, she, (alongside two other girls) was shot in the head on a bus for her passionate, outspoken views.

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    He pauses and asks, “Why would her success take anything away from me? I’m not in my sister’s shadow. I’m in my sister’s light. And Rumi has this beautiful quote: ‘A candle doesn’t lose its light when it lights up another candle.’ It actually makes the world a brighter place. It lights up the whole room.”

    He continues with the message of supporting the people you love. “So guys, uplift each other. If you see your friend, uplift them. Because guess what? We all are gonna die someday. And your friends, I’m sure they mean a lot to you. And at times, there is that feeling of jealousy. You don’t want to be going to their funeral and telling their parents how amazing they were. Because guess what? It’s too late. So tell them while they’re still alive. You don’t want to live with that, so uplift people while they’re still here.”

    Khushal speaks frequently to students about his journey. He is also a fierce advocate for education and finding the fuel to live life to its fullest. From the bio he shared with Upworthy: “Through his educational platform, Yousafzai Academy, he mentors students about personal and academic growth, learning from setbacks, and leadership.”

    Many in the Instagram comments are beautifully supportive and touched by his words. “So beautiful to see his immense love for his sister shared so honestly, vulnerably, and without any hint of shame or resentment. And the Rumi quote is just so perfect. ❤”

    Another notes that his wisdom isn’t surprising, considering that his whole family is involved in activism. “This family has got all the right things going on! What a gift to the world.”

    This person was moved by his words, especially by the idea of uplifting people while there’s still time. “Wisdom. Beautiful. Fabulous. What a family! Uplift your friends. Uplift people while they are still here. Yes!”

    And this commenter deduces from his clip that the trauma their family has been through has created a thoughtful empath. “You have a high level of empathy 🙏🏽💕. Only people who have come close to death know the depth of your words and the bond you share with your sister.”

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  • In 1992, an Olympic sprinter got hurt during the race of his life. Then his dad stormed the track.
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    In 1992, an Olympic sprinter got hurt during the race of his life. Then his dad stormed the track.

    No one was going to stop Jim Redmond from getting to his son.

    Evan Porter

    Starting in the mid to late 1980s, Derek Redmond was one of Great Britain’s top sprinters. One of his greatest accomplishments was helping to guide his team to a shocking victory over the United States at the 1991 World Championships. However, Olympic success eluded him due to injuries that forced him to pull out of the games in 1988.

    But 1992 was going to be his year. The summer Olympics were being held in Barcelona and, despite all the surgeries and rehab he went through leading up to the events, Redmond was well-positioned to earn a medal for his country.

    In the quarter-finals of the men’s 400m sprint, his chosen event, Redmond actually posted a personal best time and easily won his heat. That meant he got to move on to the semi-finals. If he could post a similar time in that trial, he’d be up for medal contention in the finals.

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    The 1992 Olympics were held in Barcelona. Photo by Douglas Schneiders on Unsplash

    Redmond’s semi-final race got off to a fast start, but with about 250m left to go in the race, tragedy struck. Redmond was spotted on camera slowing up and clutching the back of his right hamstring. It had torn. He was unable to run, and collapsed to the ground in pain. His Olympic dream was over once again.

    Redmond was a proud competitor, however, and managed to peel himself off the track. He began to hobble and limp toward the finish line, determined not to earn a “Did Not Finish” disqualification. And that’s when an Olympic legend was born.

    Redmond’s father, Jim, was caught on live television storming the track. Training and security personnel tried to restrain him, but there was no stopping this dad. He made it to his son and gave Derek a shoulder to lean on as both men stumbled toward the finish. Again, security tried to remove Jim, but he waved them off.

    With his father’s support, Derek Redmond broke down in a powerful display of emotion. The physical pain likely couldn’t compare to the agony of watching his Olympic dream go up in smoke again. Still, the two men pressed on, and yet another Olympic official tried to intervene and was yet again waved off by the determined dad.

    Eventually, the Redmonds were able to cross the finish line together to the roar of a standing ovation from the nearly sixty-five thousand spectators watching.

    Unfortunately, Derek was still disqualified from the race as he had assistance in finishing. But that official Olympic record does not diminish his accomplishment, which continues to live on as one of the greatest Olympic moments of all time—even being officially recognized by the Olympics as such.

    The moment was so powerful because it underscored the sacrifices made by both athletes and their parents. They train their whole lives for often just one opportunity to showcase their skills on the world stage. When it goes wrong, the results can be devastating. Win or lose, the parents are right there with them. Olympic fathers like Jim Redmond make immense sacrifices for their children to be able to chase their dreams, often spending a fortune on equipment and training, giving up career opportunities, family vacations, personal hobbies, friendships, and more to carve out enough time. Famously, gymnast Gabby Douglas spent two years living with a host family across the country from her parents so she could be closer to a top trainer. Other Olympic families spend $60-100,000 per year in training and equipment fees for their budding stars.

    All the sacrifice and hope is on display in just this one short clip. The athletic displays at the Olympics are amazing to behold, but what we really fall in love with are the stories of persistence and perseverance, and there’s none better than the story of the Redmonds.

    Derek Redmond rehabbed relentlessly after his injury but ultimately had to give up running—though he did enjoy a run as a professional basketball player before retiring from athletics altogether. His father, Jim, passed away in 2022, ten years after being honored as a torchbearer for the 2012 Olympics.

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  • Brave 13-year-old swam 2.5 miles to shore, battling 4 hours to save his family swept out to sea
    Photo credit: Canva – Rescue team on the shore.
    ,

    Brave 13-year-old swam 2.5 miles to shore, battling 4 hours to save his family swept out to sea

    “I don’t think I am a hero—I just did what I did.”

    Emily Shiffer

    A family in Australia is hailing their 13-year-old son as a hero after he saved their lives following a kayaking and paddleboarding expedition that saw them quickly drift miles off shore. Austin Appelbee bravely left his family (mother Joanne, brother Beau and sister Grace) floating in the waters of Western Australia on Friday, Jan. 30 to seek help in. The nearest land was almost four miles away.

    “The wind picked up and it went from there,” Joanne Appelbee told BBC News. “We lost oars, and we drifted out further…. It kind of all went wrong very, very quickly.”

    With every moment dragging the family further into the ocean, Joanne had to make a gut-wrenching decision: to ask Austin to attempt to swim ashore for help, knowing he may not survive.

    A mother’s gut-wrenching decision

    With conditions worsening and daylight fading, Joanne had to make one of the most difficult choices of her life.

    “One of the hardest decisions I ever had to make was to say to Austin, ‘Try to get to shore and get some help, this could get really serious really quickly,’” she told the ABC News. “I knew he was the strongest and he could do it. I would have never went because I wouldn’t have left the kids at sea, so I had to send somebody.”

    According to a statement from the WA Police Force, Austin “alerted authorities after he decided to return to shore in fading light and rough conditions. He paddled a short distance before his kayak took on water and swam approximately four kilometers (about two nautical miles) before reaching land.”

    Naturaliste Marine Rescue commander Paul Bresland added that Austin swam for the first two hours with a life jacket on, calling his swimming “superhuman.” “And the brave fella thought he’s not going to make it with a life jacket on, so he ditched it, and he swam the next two hours without a life jacket,” he explained to ABC News.

    The family had been stranded at sea for 10 hours when a rescue helicopter spotted Joanne and her two children clinging to a paddle board 8.5 miles offshore. A “volunteer marine rescue vessel was directed to their location and all three were successfully rescued and returned to shore.”

    Joanne is also being hailed a hero for tethering herself and her kids to the paddleboard as they floated further and further out. “We kept positive, we were singing, and we were joking and … we were treating it as a bit of a game until the sun started to go down, and that’s when it was getting very choppy [with] very big waves,” she said. “As the sun went down, I thought something’s gone terribly wrong here and my fear was that [Austin] didn’t make it. Then, as it got darker, yeah, I thought there was no one coming to save us. It was the end, it was definitely the end.”

    @cnn

    A 13-year-boy swam for more than two miles in “rough conditions” to get help for his family who were stranded out at sea. Austin Appelbee told CNN affiliate 9News that he focused on happy things to keep him going. #cnn #australia

    ♬ original sound – CNN

    Austin Appelbee speaks

    Austin shared more about his heroic battle to save his family.

    “I started paddling to shore on the kayak … but it kept taking on water and I was fighting rough seas and then I thought I saw something in the water and I was really scared,” he shared with ABC News. “I was trying to get the happiest things in my head, and trying to make it through, [and not think of] the bad things that will distract me.”

    Mentally, he had to keep himself locked in.

    “And at this time, you know, the waves are massive, and I have no life jacket on … I just kept thinking ‘just keep swimming, just keep swimming,” he added. “And then I finally made it to shore, and I hit the bottom of the beach, and I just collapsed.”

    However, the physical challenge was not over. Once he made it to land, Austin had to run two kilometers (about 1.25 miles) to the family’s parked car to call authorities on his mom’s cell phone.

    “I said, ‘I need helicopters, I need planes, I need boats, my family’s out at sea.’ I was very calm about it,” he said, adding that “nice ladies on the beach” were able to offer him food before he “just passed out.”

    Days later, Austin was using crutches to help him walk on incredibly sore legs. Despite the physical exertion and trauma, he remained humble about the ordeal.

    “I don’t think I am a hero—I just did what I did,” he told BBC News.

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  • ‘Remarkable’ UPS driver runs into burning home to save 101-year-old woman
    Photo credit: Canva – A delivery driver with a determined expression; a house on fire.
    ,

    ‘Remarkable’ UPS driver runs into burning home to save 101-year-old woman

    “I just did what I thought was right.”

    Heather Wake

    Fate often tests our courage at the most unexpected times. For UPS driver Willy Esquivel, that moment came on January 15 while he was completing a delivery in Orange County, California.

    According to KTLA, Esquivel was on his routine route in Santa Ana when he noticed neighbors attempting to smother a blaze coming from the condo of Ann Edwards, a 101-year-old woman who lives alone.

    Esquivel wasted no time entering the smoke-filled building to rescue Edwards, who seemed “very disoriented” and reluctant to leave. Nevertheless, Esquivel “picked her up and carried her safely outside,” according to KTLA and a statement from the Orange County Fire Authority (OFCA).

    A video posted on the OFCA’s X account showed just how thick the smoke was pouring from Edwards’ condo as firefighters arrived. The OFCA also acknowledged the resourceful neighbors who aided in the rescue.

    “At the same time, the neighbors used fire extinguishers to knock down the kitchen fire,” the OCFA wrote on X. “One of them, a roofer by trade, grabbed his ladder, climbed to the roof, and used a garden hose to spray water into the kitchen vent.”

    Thankfully, while Edwards was taken to the hospital, she was expected to make a full recovery. Her son, Rick, told KTLA that he was grateful to Esquivel for “sticking with her and getting her out of there.”

    As for Esquivel, rather than seeing himself as a hero, he told KTLA that he was “just a UPS driver who was in the right place at the right time.”

    “I just did what I thought was right,” he added. “At the end of the day, she’s someone’s mother, someone’s grandmother, great-grandmother.”

    Moments like this rarely announce themselves ahead of time. They unfold in the middle of ordinary days, on familiar streets, while people are simply doing their jobs or moving through their routines. Delivery drivers like Esquivel travel through neighborhoods every day, often unnoticed, yet uniquely positioned to sense when something is wrong. On this day, being present and paying attention made all the difference.

    Just as striking as Esquivel’s bravery was the way neighbors instinctively sprang into action. Without hesitation, they grabbed fire extinguishers, ladders, and garden hoses, each contributing whatever they had in the moment. Together, their quick thinking and collaboration helped prevent an even greater tragedy.

    “A remarkable outcome made possible by quick action, teamwork, and people looking out for one another in a moment of need,” the OCFA wrote on X.

    It’s easy to assume someone else will step in. That it’s not your fight. That it’s not your responsibility. Heroism requires the opposite mindset. And at a time when the world can feel increasingly short on that quality, this story is a refreshing reminder that yes, there are still good people out there willing to help, even when it means helping complete strangers while on the job.

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  • People love this 1983 clip of a southern grandma feeding her community from her modest kitchen
    Photo credit: CBS Evening News/YouTube – Agatha Burgess cooked all day, five days a week, for anyone who showed up.
    ,

    People love this 1983 clip of a southern grandma feeding her community from her modest kitchen

    “I always get what I want, but I know what to want,” she said.

    Annie Reneau

    History remembers extraordinary people who accomplish great things, lead big movements, create new inventions, and make an indelible mark on the world. But what about the individuals who dedicate their time and energy to making their local community, however small, a better place?

    Those everyday heroes rarely get lauded in posterity, but thanks to human interest stories, some people get the flowers they never asked for long after they’re gone. Enter Agatha Burgess, an 80-year-old grandmother who, in 1983, had a visit from CBS Evening News as she went about her normal weekday business of feeding her community, simply because she could.

    In the footage from the archives, Burgess is shown bopping about her modest kitchen, where she’s been working since 5:00 a.m. She’s surrounded by pans and tins and bowls, which she’s using to make corn muffins, rice, dressing, peach cobbler, and more for residents of her small town of Buffalo, South Carolina. She’s done this for 15 years, not as a business, but as a service to her community. She said she didn’t have any desire for a “big, fine home” and that she’d always wanted to “live by the side of the road and be a friend to man.”

    “I always get what I want, but I know what to want,” she said.

    Some meals were sent out to shut-ins in the community, delivered by Meals on Wheels volunteers. She made sure those meals were always ready by 11:00 a.m. After that, people also came to her home to get a meal. If they were able, they’d drop $2.75 per meal into a box on the side table to cover the costs, even making their own change on the honor system. But no one was ever turned away if they couldn’t pay.

    food, charity, corn muffins, meals on wheels, feeding people
    Apparently, Agatha Burgess's corn muffins were legendary. Photo credit: Canva

    Burgess didn’t have a large home, so people would crowd into her dining room and kitchen to eat the home-cooked meals she made single-handedly. After people had eaten and left, she would do the dishes and start on her baking for the next day. This was her life from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., five days a week.

    Why? Because she loved doing it. She said, “This guy asked me the other day, said, ‘Miss Burgess, why don’t you stop and rest?’ I said, ‘What would I have to live for?’ Because these people come in every day. They mean so much to me. I just love. I fall in love with people.”

    Her sister said she might end up regretting the honor box, that someone would end up ripping her off. But Burgess said that God had always taken care of her, and if someone stole from the box, God would take care of them, too.

    Burgess’s quote about being “a friend to man” comes from the poem “The House By The Side Of The Road” by Sam Walter Foss, the last stanza of which reads:

    Let me live in my house by the side of the road,
    Where the race of men go by-
    They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong,
    Wise, foolish – so am I.
    Then why should I sit in the scorner’s seat,
    Or hurl the cynic’s ban?
    Let me live in my house by the side of the road
    And be a friend to man.

    People loved hearing about Burgess’s extraordinary retirement in the resurfaced clip from the CBS News archives:

    “She has the best attitude about life. She is so grateful for what she has.”

    “This is one of the most wholesome things I’ve ever seen.”

    “‘I don’t want your big fine home. But I’m glad you got it.’ There’s beauty in being content with what you have, and being happy for people. What a sweet lady.”

    “‘I always get everything I want, but I know what to want’ might be the wisest thing I’ve ever heard.”

    “What a wonderful woman. My dad used to eat there for lunch while working his first job out of college. God bless.”

    “I’m a grown man and I’m sitting here watching this crying. I know you’re no longer with us, but God bless you, Agatha. Did you ever realize all the lives you blessed?”

    Burgess died in 1992 at the age of 89. Though she didn’t spend nearly two decades cooking for friend and stranger alike in order to get praise or accolades, there’s something truly beautiful about people seeing her service over four decades later and giving her the flowers she deserved.

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