Danika Brace Johnson is an American former football coach and player. She served as the coach and general manager of the Nashville Knights franchise of the Legends Football League (LFL) for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Brace became the first coach of the Knights when the LFL announced the establishment of operations of that franchise were established in December 2017.[1]
Playing career
editBrace played the game at middle linebacker on defense and tight end on offense. The 2010-11 season saw her initial debut with the Seattle Mist, where she played for her first two seasons. She was recruited to compete for LFL Canada franchise Regina Rage for the proposed 2013 season in that league, but that season was never played. Instead, after graduating from the University of Washington in 2013, she moved to the now-folded Las Vegas Sin, where she helped re-establish that franchise, and competed for that team for two seasons.[2][3] After supposedly retiring from the game at the end of the 2014 season just before the Sin folded,[4][5] she returned to the Seattle Mist for the remainder of her playing career from 2015 through the 2017 season, including three appearances in the Legends Cup, two of which the Mist won.
Awards
editIn the 2013 season, while playing for the Sin, Brace was named the LFL Defensive Player of the Year. Two seasons later with the Mist, Brace was named League MVP and LFL 2015 defensive player of the year.[2]
Coaching career
editBy being named the coach of the Nashville Knights when that franchise was established, Brace became the first-ever female coach in the history of the LFL.[1][6][7][8] Her first season as coach resulted in a 4–0 record during the franchise's inaugural 2018 regular season and an appearance in the Eastern Conference final.
Coaching record
edit| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | Losses | Ties | Win % | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win % | Result | ||
| NSH | 2018 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1st in Eastern Conference | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | — |
| NSH | 2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in Eastern Conference | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | — |
| Total | 6 | 2 | 0 | .750 | 0 | 1 | 0.000 | |||
Personal life
editA Seattle native,[9] Brace attended Inglemoor High School in Kenmore, Washington.[10] After graduating high school, she attended college at the University of Washington.[10] She is married to Austin Johnson, defensive lineman for the Buffalo Bills.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b "HISTORIC ANNOUNCEMENTS AS NASHVILLE KNIGHTS ARE UNVEILED AND FIRST-EVER FEMALE COACH IS HIRED". LFL360. November 8, 2017. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
- ^ a b Nobles, Hoss (March 9, 2016). "Torqued Magazine Goes One on One with Danika Brace of the Seattle Mist". Torqued Magazine. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ Kinsey, Joe (July 10, 2013). "Lingerie Footballer Danika Brace: 'You Wish You Could **** Me'". Busted Coverage. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- ^ LFL USA _ THE STORY _ DANIKA BRACE _ I AM THE LEADER, I AM A CAPTAIN. Legends Football League. 2014 – via YouTube.
- ^ "LFL US Announces State of the Franchise, More Games, More Rivalries" Archived 2015-12-21 at the Wayback Machine. LFL360.com. January 27, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ Teague, Cass (November 17, 2017). "The Sporting Life: Nashville Knights LFL Edition". Nashville PRIDE, Inc. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
- ^ Lohuis, Liz (November 12, 2017). "Lingerie Football League comes to Nashville under new name". WSMV-TV. Archived from the original on November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
- ^ "Legends Football League announces Nashville team". WTVF. November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
- ^ Jacobs, Heidi (August 19, 2015). "Seattle Mist, Brace seek first Legends Cup title". Kent Reporter. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ a b "Renton woman helps take Mist to LFL championship game". Renton Reporter. August 21, 2015. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "5 Things To Know About Austin Johnson". www.chargers.com. April 6, 2022. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2022.