Dental graduate Allie Alberts, who is starting a three-year prosthodontic program, is a wide receiver/defensive back for the Chicago Bliss. “I loved every second of the season,” he says. Photo: Roberta Dupuis-Devlin/UIC Photo Services (click image for larger size)
Allie Alberts endured many aches and pains during her rookie season with the Chicago Bliss soccer team, including a concussion, a broken rib and so many bruises that one leg was the color of a rainbow.
Fortunately for the 26-year-old wide receiver/defensive back, her hands were coming off without that much of a nail.
This bodes well, not only for her career on the court, but also for her long-term future as a prosthodontist in dental practice.
A 2013 graduate of the College of Dentistry, Alberts is in the first year of a three-year advanced prosthodontic program, learning to repair and replace teeth with crowns, bridges, veneers, inlays, dentures and implants.
The job requires concentration and a steady hand, two traits he uses to run precise routes and catch a football.
Alberts, from downstate Smithton, played an integral role for the Bliss in winning the 2013 Legends Cup, the Legends Football League championship. He scored two rushing touchdowns in the first half, giving the Bliss a 27-6 halftime lead over the Philadelphia Passion. The Bliss won 34-18.
“I loved every second of the season,” Alberts said. “I’m not interested in individual statistics. I just want to win. It’s more fun to win as a team.”
The Legends Football League is the women’s 7-on-7 full contact tackle league. The Bliss play their home games at the Sears Center Arena in Hoffman Estates.
Alli Alberts, a high school and college all-star, joined the Bliss because she missed out on the competition.
The league began as the Underwear Football League in 2009, but was renamed in January 2013 to better reflect the competitive nature of women.
The uniforms changed along with the name of the league. Bras, skimpy underwear and garters have been replaced with performance clothing. Shoulder pads were redesigned to provide more protection for players, who also wear elbow and knee pads, as well as ice hockey-style helmets with clear plastic covers instead of face masks.
Alberts discovered the professional league watching television. An avid soccer fan whose family had season tickets to St. Louis Rams, she thought soccer would be a good way to release her competitive drive.
She missed her team sports days as she was an all-state athlete in volleyball, basketball and track at Freeburg High School.
She was a key member of the University of Washington volleyball team that won the Division III national title in 2007. She was named the tournament’s most valuable player. She was a second-team All-America in volleyball in 2008 and starred in track, where she was a three-time All-American and school-record holder in the heptathlon.
As a rookie for the Bliss, Alberts led the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns during the regular season. On defense, he had 17 tackles, 15 of them solo. He sacked the quarterback once and had two interceptions.
Alberts was one of five players nominated for the league’s Rookie of the Year award, which went to Shuree Wyatt of the Seattle Mist.
Alberts first game is a little foggy in her mind. During the third quarter against defending champion Los Angeles, Alberts tried to stop Temptations quarterback Ashley Salerno from running in a one-point conversion after a touchdown. He was hit so hard that he was “knocked out cold.”
Alberts was sidelined with a concussion in her first game.
“It was pretty scary,” Alberts said. “My mum and my friends were in the stands and saw me lying on the pitch to get medical help. They took me to the changing room, but I didn’t remember anything before that. My mom didn’t want me to play again.”
After a three-week layoff, Alberts’ concussion symptoms subsided and she was cleared to play. She couldn’t help but wonder if every game would be like her first.
“When I made a tackle, I just kept thinking, stay low, stay low, stay low,” he said. He didn’t suffer another concussion, but he did break a rib on impact.
Alberts used to play co-ed flag football, but tackle football suits her feisty nature better, she said.
“Sometimes I get a little crazy when I play sports, and when I was playing volleyball, my teammates would occasionally tell me to calm down, that I was getting too excited,” she said.
“With football, I don’t need to calm down. I can use all my energy, aggression and intensity on the court. Which I think only makes you better. I’m looking forward to next season.”
