Stephanie Brooke Aragon
Coach Stephanie Aragon is a passionate and accomplished athletic leader currently serving as the inaugural Head Women’s Flag Football Coach at Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois, where she is also an Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach and contributes to strength and conditioning development. She is dedicated to building and growing programs from the ground up while creating a positive, competitive, and development-focused environment for student-athletes. Her leadership style emphasizes structure, accountability, and long-term athlete development both on and off the field. Aragon has been an athlete for most of her life, including competing in collegiate volleyball, where she developed a strong foundation in discipline, teamwork, and competitive excellence. After her volleyball career ended in college, she returned home and unexpectedly found her path into flag football in 2018 through a meaningful experience. While working in property management at Mimco, she was sponsored to participate in an Alzheimer’s Blondes vs. Brunettes charity flag football game. The cause was personal to her, as her grandmother was living with Alzheimer’s at the time. Although she had little formal experience in football, her love for athletics led her to participate. After the event, a coach who played in a local coed Sunday league in El Paso recognized her talent and invited her to join the team. That opportunity became a turning point, as she quickly developed a deep passion for the game and continued to grow within the sport. Today, Coach Aragon is committed to developing what she calls “Swiss Army knife” athletes—well-rounded student-athletes who excel not only in sport, but in every area of life. Her coaching philosophy centers on the belief that success in athletics is bigger than the game itself, and that true greatness is defined by character, integrity, communication, work ethic, coachability, perseverance, hustle, and intentionality. She leads by example and holds her athletes to high standards both on and off the field. One of her proudest moments came while coaching at Loretto Academy, an all-girls private Catholic school in El Paso, where one of the Sophomores on her team earned the El Paso Sports Commission Athlete of the Year Award. For Coach Aragon, the achievement represented more than athletic success—it reflected the team’s commitment to being strong, well-rounded individuals who excel academically, athletically, and personally.
• Victory University - BS
• New Mexico Military Institute - AS
• All-Academic Team Honors (Multiple Institutions)
• Played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
• First Team All-American
• Sum Cum Laude
• Top 10%
• Academic All American
• 2025 New Mexico Banitas Most Valuable Player
• Women's Football Alliance
• USA Football
• Alzheimer's Blondes vs. Brunettes Fundraiser
• Guardians of the Children Sun City Chapter
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the rigorous training and discipline I received at New Mexico Military Institute, where I had to juggle being in the Corps with military requirements, maintaining great academics at a tough academic school, and performing well in volleyball and the strength and conditioning. Waking up for formation at 6 AM, making sure my room was clean, my uniform was shined, I squared my corners and asked permission to eat or return to my barrack and managing all of that while keeping my grades up and performing athletically taught me so much. Sometimes in the moment you're like, 'ugh, why do we really have to do this?' but then at the end of the day, you realize it all made sense. I hold myself kind of prideful about this - I survived that, I was able to go through that, and not many could because it's just not easy to juggle all of that. That experience taught me the efficiency, discipline, organization, communication, hard work, intention and perseverance that I bring to everything I do now. I also learned invaluable skills from my time as a property manager at MIMCO Properties, where managing 350 tenants by myself taught me customer service, communication, being a team player and how to be efficient and organized. It also did not hurt that I had an influential female boss who lead by example and inspired and empowered me. All of these experiences shaped who I am as a coach and trainer today.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Give your all in everything that you do. Never give a reason for someone to say that is something you are not capable of doing.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I really believe in the quote from Rocky Horror Picture Show: 'Don't dream it, be it.' You dream these things and everything, but you know, it's possible. Be it. Put your heart through it, everything. Of course, you have to work hard, nothing's going to be handed to you or anything like that. You just push yourself and know that it is possible. That's one thing I like about this flag football movement that's blowing up for these young ladies, because now the younger generation is looking at these ladies and are inspired and empowered to know, 'that's possible. Now that is something I can do and it is no longer taboo for female representation in a sport that is mostly male dominated' because they believed in themselves, they didn't let any negative talk or anything discourage them, and they took that step forward and are breaking barriers, and now they're making a name for themselves by being a part of this. We all start somewhere. Don't give up. Sometimes we get discouraged as ladies, but if anything, we're just more powerful. For others to see that it is possible - that's what makes being a part of this movement so impactful.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Coaching and playing football, whether it be flag or tackle, is still a male dominated path. So when you enter that field as a female, you have a lot more to prove to show that you understand the concepts behind it and are someone that athletes can learn and grow from. Some are receptive to a female lead in this industry, while there is still some reluctancy to the fact that females are able to hold this position so respect does have to be earned, but give it a chance before completely turning it down,
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values I bring from my personal life into my work are really important to me. I like to lead by example, so the way that I carry myself - if I expect my student athletes to be like that, I like to do that myself. I always lead with integrity, character, communication, hard work, coachability, perseverance, hustle and intention. Be a good team player, be kind. Work hard and be nice. And those are the things I look for. I really want people to let their character show and shine, and be the thing that everyone knows you for. I know this might be a little bit morbid, but going back, I like to say, if I were to die, I would rather be known for my character and integrity than being a good football player. As a woman coaching in traditionally male-dominated sports like flag and tackle football, I see myself as breaking barriers and serving as a role model. My involvement with Guardians of the Children Sun City Chapter, a nonprofit biker organization that advocates against child abuse, aligns with my broader commitment to protecting and developing young people and ensuring they have safe environments to grow and thrive.