Next months Super Bowl will be a historic victory for whoever wins out of the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs but it will also break the ceiling for the first woman to coach in the big event and the first openly LGBTQ coach to reach the Super Bowl.
Offensive assistant coach Katie Sowers of the San Francisco 49ers has already made headlines by becoming the first openly gay coach in NFL history.
In an interview with Outsports in 2017, Sowers said that no matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are.
“There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, that do not feel comfortable being public about their sexual orientation,” Sowers explained.
“The more we can create an environment that welcomes all types of people, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, the more we can help ease the pain and burden that many carry every day.”
Sowers, 33, who has spent four seasons in the NFL, joined the 49ers as part of the 2017 Bill Walsh Minority Fellowship — a program aimed to increase the amount of full-time NFL minority coaches in the league, according to her 49ers biography.
Sowers is also the first female coach for the 49ers and only the second female coach in the history of the NFL.
A former player in the Woman’s Football Alliance who turned to coaching after a successful career on the field, she was featured in a high-profile Microsoft ad that began airing on January 3.
Before heading to San Francisco, Sowers worked with the Atlanta Falcons and served as the athletic director of the City of Kansas City, according to her biography, interestingly her team the 49ers will play Kansas in the Super Bowl.
Sowers is also an athlete herself. She was a member of the 2013 U.S. Women’s National Football team and played in the Women’s Football Alliance for eight years. She graduated with a masters degree in kinesiology, from the University of Central Missouri in 2012.
Sowers took to her Instagram following the 49ers’ NFC Championship win to share her excitement over the victory, posting a video from the field with the caption, “Takin our talents to south beach.”
The San Francisco 49ers will play against the Kansas City Chiefs when Super Bowl LIV takes place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on February 2. The game will air in Australian on ESPN and Channel 7 and in New Zealand on Skysport.
Last Updated on Jan 21, 2020
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