When elementary school teacher Pat Palinkas took the field for the Orlando Panthers in 1970, she became the first woman to play professional American football. Although her debut generated national headlines, her achievement subsequently faded from public memory. Ashley Brandon’s 12-minute documentary, Panther Pat, brings that story back into view.
Brandon, an associate professor at Quinnipiac University, grew up with a football-coaching father but was never allowed to join a team herself. She discovered Palinkas through a passing reference in a book about Connecticut football history. After the filmmakers contacted Palinkas by letter and received a reply, production began in 2021.
Combining interviews and archival material with stop-motion sequences featuring dolls and toys, the film gives Palinkas’s memories a playful visual form. The approach draws on her childhood recollection of being told that girls should play with dolls rather than football. Brandon believes the animation can engage audiences who have little interest in sport, while also reaching the children Palinkas loved teaching.
Palinkas died in the summer of 2025, months before the documentary was finished. Her family has embraced the film. It received the Documentary Short Grand Jury Prize at the 2026 Slamdance Film Festival, was shown at Tribeca and qualified for Oscar consideration. Eli Manning and Robin Roberts have also joined as executive producers.
Throughout the documentary, a doll watches television images of women participating in football as players, coaches, referees and fans. Brandon’s aim is for young viewers to recognise themselves in those roles and see Palinkas’s achievement as an example of possibility.
