PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Stephanie Strassner, the 2024 All-Greater Rochester and Section V Flag Football Coach of the Year, has been named the first women’s flag football coach in St. John Fisher University history, Director of Athletics and Recreation Jennifer Granger announced on Friday.
Strassner spent the last two years as the varsity flag football coach at Rochester’s Bishop Kearney High School. She has also made various stops as a girls' high school basketball coach in the area, including as an assistant at Bishop Kearney (2025-present) and as the head varsity coach at Geneva High School (2021-22).
“It is an honor to have been named the inaugural head coach of the St. John Fisher University flag football program,” Strassner said. “St. John Fisher has a tradition of athletic excellence and a commitment to student-athlete development that I am excited to be a part of. I am eager to build a culture from the ground up that reflects the values of this university. We aren't just starting a team, we are pioneering a new era of opportunity for women in sports within our community and beyond.
“I am grateful for St. John Fisher’s trust in me as we embark on this new chapter in the university’s athletic story. Flag football is growing at an incredible pace, and this is just the beginning. We aren't just starting a program; we are creating a legacy of opportunity and excellence that will inspire St. John Fisher athletes for generations to come.”
Bishop Kearney posted a dominant 26-1 record under Strassner, including a perfect 16-0 mark in 2024. That season, the Kings captured the Section V (Class B) title and the inaugural New York State Division 2 championship. The Buffalo Bills honored Strassner for winning the state title during a game in December 2024 and surprised her with two tickets to Super Bowl LIX.
Strassner, a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher in the Webster Central School District, graduated from Keuka College in 2013 with her Bachelor of Science in general and special education. She earned her Master of Literacy from SUNY Brockport in 2015.
Strassner played on Keuka College’s women’s basketball and soccer teams.
“I am thrilled to welcome Stephanie Strassner to lead our women’s flag football program,” Granger said. “She possesses the energy and passion needed to build the program from the ground up. Her commitment to mentorship will provide our student-athletes with an incredible experience.”
St. John Fisher’s addition of Strassner comes six days after representatives from all three NCAA divisions voted to add flag football to the Emerging Sports for Women program at the 2026 NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C. Once in the program, a sport must have a minimum of 40 schools sponsoring the sport at the varsity level and meet minimum contest and participation requirements to be considered for NCAA championship status.
St. John Fisher’s flag football team will debut in spring 2027. Five other Empire 8 Conference institutions – SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo, Elmira College, Hartwick College and Russell Sage College – will begin competing this spring.
