Latest in a series of "Where Are They Now?" features on members of the Colgate Athletics family. Click Here for previous profiles.
 
HAMILTON – For Dorothy Donaldson '05, following up an elite Division I softball career was no easy task.
 
On top of winning the 2003 Patriot League Championship, Donaldson earned numerous individual awards to highlight her prolific career. She was the 2004 Patriot League Player of the Year and 2002 Rookie of the Year as well as a four-time first team All-League selection and four-time All-Region player.
 
In addition to her awards, Donaldson accumulated the most home runs (39) in Colgate history and had the highest slugging percentage (.686), second highest batting average (.386), third most runs (120), hits (202) and RBIs (126), and the fifth most doubles (34).
 
"I wouldn't necessarily say I thought about it but I knew I was a good player and knew that I would have opportunities to showcase my talents in playing at Colgate," Donaldson said. "Coach [Vickie] Sax had really wanted me to come to Colgate so that was a big boost to be wanted to play and help the team."
 
A native of Lakeland, Florida, Donaldson opted to stay in the Northeast following graduation and moved to the greater Boston area to pursue a career in finance with Ameriprise Financial.
 
A New Chapter
After approximately two years at Ameriprise, Donaldson stumbled upon an ad for a position in the operations group at Boston Investor Services and looked into what it entailed. After a successful interview, Donaldson got the job and began at her new employer in February 2008. Now 10 years later, Donaldson continues to love her job.
 
Donaldson and her department provide back office work for mutual fund managers, tackling topics such as compliance, trade settlements, foreign exchange deals and more.
 
"We call ourselves 'firefighters' because we're putting out fires that pop up throughout the day," Donaldson said. "If our clients need something, it's time sensitive so it all depends on their trading situations."
 
Happy with her career, Donaldson couldn't help but feel like there was a void in her post-Division I athletics life. She has played competitive sports since she was 8 years old but no longer had competitive athletics in her life.
 
Donaldson played slow pitch softball for a while but it just didn't fill the void the way she wanted it to. Then she remembered seeing a piece about women's tackle football on the news when she was younger. She always had a passion for football and wondered if such a team existed in Boston.
 
"I had always been interested in football," she said. "When I was younger, I saw a news piece about a local women's tackle football team so I wondered if that was still around. I hopped on Google and it turned out there was a team in Boston."
 
So Donaldson called the head coach of the Boston Militia to talk about joining the team. Despite being late in the 2008 season, Donaldson came down to meet the coach and joined the team for the final game of the regular season.
 
Initially she played on the defensive line but an injury to the team's fullback opened up a spot for her on offense. Donaldson's responsibility was to block the oncoming rush and she thrived in the role.
 
The competiveness that her first football game provided was just what she had been missing following her collegiate career.
 
More Success
After that final game of the 2008 regular season, Donaldson was hooked and the success from college quickly followed her to the Militia.
 
The Militia went undefeated in the regular season in five of her six full seasons and went 46-1 during the regular season when she was a part of the team.
 
Donaldson and the Militia narrowly missed out on the Super Bowl in 2009 with a heartbreaking loss in the conference championship, but they rebounded in 2010 to win the first of her three three Super Bowl championships.
 
"Joining the team was one of the best decisions I've ever made," Donaldson said. "I met so many good people and football gives you such a different perspective actually playing. I loved every minute of it."
 
The dominance for the Militia followed them as they joined the Women's Football Alliance, where they won the Super Bowl two more times and reached the conference championship game in every season until her retirement following the 2014 season.
 
Support from All Around
Winning three Super Bowls was fun and Donaldson enjoyed the competitiveness of football. What made it even more enjoyable was the support she received from her family and coworkers.
 
Donaldson balanced her full-time job at Boston Investor Services and still managed to attend practices in addition to games on the weekends.
 
"It was very challenging," she said. "We practiced three times a week, and during the playoffs that increased a little bit more. We would practice from 6-10 p.m. and then you're up the next morning sore with bruises and people are asking what happened to you.
 
"It was hard and you get used to it, but it becomes your life."
 
The season went from January through August, when the Super Bowl was held – and her coworkers were with her every step of the way. Whether they were coming to games with Boston Militia and Dorothy Donaldson T-shirts or making Super Bowl championship banners to hang in the office, her friends and family were there for the journey.
 
Donaldson's company even became one of the sponsors of the team to help pay for its expenses throughout the season, making Donaldson feel that much more appreciated in her efforts out on the field.
 
"It definitely made it easier to go out there and grind it out knowing that you had people rooting for you and supporting you even outside of the team," Donaldson said. "At that point, you're not just going out there for your team and yourself. It was really cool and makes you feel like all the bumps and bruises are 100 percent worth it."
 
So What's Next?
Despite enjoying her career in women's tackle football, Donaldson decided to step away from the game following her third Super Bowl victory in the 2014 season.
 
Once again, Donaldson struggled to figure out what to do with her free time after leaving competitive athletics for a second time.
 
This time, Donaldson went to a different interest of hers: motorcycling. She purchased a motorcycle and got her license nearly two years ago, providing a new outlet for getting out her frustrations the way she was able to in athletics.
 
She has also considered getting into coaching with her team, now called the Boston Renegades following a change in ownership.  But Donaldson says it's still too early to get into coaching because she knows she'll just want to get back on the field.
 
One thing Donaldson does know is that she wants to come back to Hamilton, New York, and Colgate more often after making her second trip back following her 2005 graduation for the Hall of Honor Induction Ceremony in September.
 
"Coming back for the Hall of Honor brought back so many memories," Donaldson said. "Even though so much has changed since I was here, it still felt very familiar and very much like I spent time at a place I enjoyed being at.
 
"It made me feel like I need to come back more often."
 
Maybe she'll even take her motorcycle on a trip to Colgate to blend her current hobby with a familiar place from her past.