Number 52
First Female Hits the Gridiron

It’s always exciting to see new players at the start of a fall football season. Among this year's newcomers is number 52, an offensive lineman who also plays defense. This new JV player is already playing varsity and recovered a fumble during a winning game against Wilcox Tech .

What makes number 52 special is she is Natalie Fabien, a junior at Wright Tech. Natalie has been playing “street football” since she was 11. When she asked if she could join the J.M. Wright “Lightenings”, Coaches Trevor Jones, and Fred Trumpler welcomed Natalie to the football team with a resounding “Yes”. 

At first, Natalie said her teammates thought it was a joke that she was practicing with them. “I can’t believe you’re on our team!” , was a phrase Natalie heard a lot. “But when they saw I was a serious player, we practiced with the same intensity. During practice, I get hit, like everyone else. Sometimes someone says, ‘Yo, that’s a girl’.  I wish they wouldn’t say that, but I can see that in the short amount of time since the season started, everyone is cool with the whole thing. I also really like all my teammates, we laugh and have a great time together”. So far, Natalie’s only injuries have been being scratched by an opposing players helmet. 

Natalie is no stranger to performing in front of a crowd. While attending Central High School in Bridgeport in her freshmen and sophomore years, she studied in the Regional Center for the Arts. 

In her immediate future, Natalie plans to be on the winter sport season cheerleading team to stay in shape and continue her involvement in sports.