Welcome to the Official Website of #33 Donna "the Animal" Wilkinson

2010 Team USA

Donna was selected to play for Team USA in the historic first World Championships of women's tackle football in Stockholm, Sweden in 2010. Team USA shut out the competition and took the Gold Medal in dominant fashion.

2013 Team USA

The World Championships of Women's Football in Vantaa, Finland  in 2013 was a show for the ages. In the most dominant game in USA Football championship history the United States defeated Germany 107-7 in a firing match on 4th of July. It was an American dominance once again, and Team USA beat  Canada for their second straight Gold Medal.

 Team USA 2013 Video - We tackle the world!

Wilkinson integrated the most advanced ARPWave technology as part of her football recovery program to recover from numerous injuries in less time. Ask how ARPWave can help you achieve peak performance in daily life.

Donna spent three seasons as a sports analyst for "Game On" on WUSA-TV9 in Washington D.C. Her understanding of football from inside the locker room give her a unique and powerful perspective. Donna worked alongside Hall of Fame player Darrell Green, sack leader Dexter Manley and USA Today writer Christine Brennan.

Train at HOME like a Pro Athlete

Strength Training with a Pro

Donna is active in the community coaching NFL Play 60 camps, USA Football Heads Up clinics and American Heart Association events. You will find her speaking at career day at school and teaching part-time in the classroom with ACPS.

In 2019 Wilkinson became a Special Olympics basketball coach for the TC Williams Mighty Titans.

Can women play against men in a game of tackle football, and survive, or THRIVE? YES!… They DID...BIG Time! Check out the two times Donna suited up and played vs the men in the HISTORIC GAMES section!

Pictures by Scott Robinson

Are you looking for a unique and dynamic speaker? Donna shares her inspiring story of passion, growth and overcoming obstacles while playing women's tackle football for 15 years in a co-authored book "Feminine Voices - Real Stories of Women Transforming Leadership. She speaks about her football journey to audiences of all ages, and aslo shares her insight on women's empowerment, domestic violence, health & nutrition, wellness technology and teamwork.

Wilkinson played an intense style of football that lead to numerous traumatic hits to the head and neck area over 18 seasons of play.  In her 15th season, Wilkinson began to develop concussion symptoms  such as regular headaches, vomiting after non-contact practices, extreme light sensitivity and emotional extremes she had not experienced before.

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Wilkinson began seeing Dr. Crutchfield, a neurologist with LifeBridge health, after having 10 known concussions and a serious neck injury with Team USA at the World Championships in Finland that made it difficult to function on a daily basis.

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Dr. Crutchfield's assessment of Wilkinson's symptoms coming from the nerve damage and neck trauma associated with the repeated hits over time proved correct. He began treatments with injections into the nerves in her neck and helped her improve and manage the symptoms for the final two years of her career.

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Upon retirement from football, Wilkinson underwent a major procedure at John's Hopkins by Dr. Dorafshar to remove scar tissue from the nerves in the back of her head that had been deemed the cause of her concussion-like symptoms. The procedure was a major success and Wilkinson is now on her way to full recovery.

The possibility of looking at head trauma and CTE symptoms as neck and nerve damage is revolutionary by by Dr. Crutchfield, and opens up new possibilities for treatment and recovery options.  

Wilkinson is  available to speak about her treatment and recovery process, and welcomes those searching for answers.

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"There's nothing typical about a woman who chooses her armor for battle, puts on her helmet and shoulder pads, and hears the click-clack, click-clack of cleats as she walks through the tunnel into the hallowed grounds of a football stadium. She makes her way to the field and prepares for battle. This one has accepted a different kind of mission. She will fling her body around with reckless abandon putting her life and limb on the line to pursue a passion deep within her. She is doing something she was told she could never do, having an experience previously exclusive to men.

The life of a female warrior may not be as glorious as that of her male counterparts, but those who discover the life she lives look with amazement at what she has accomplished. The women who play American tackle football are breaking gender barriers and changing paradigms. Playing a male dominated sport as a woman is liberating and empowering at many levels.

This is a series of reflections and part of my story from a little girl who dreamed of playing football to a two-time Gold Medal Winner for TEAM USA."

This revolutionary football helmet technology combines Kevlar with a high-tech, shock absorbing foam that is licensed by NASA, which reduces the effects of impact by over 50% while improving performace at half the weight of other helmets.

MATERIALS ENGINEERED TO STOP BULLETS, SURVIVE EXTREME CAR ACCIDENTS, AND PROTECT SPACE TRAVELLERS