All I can say is, “it’s about time!” Kathryn Smith will become the NFL’s first female full-time assistant coach, working for the Buffalo Bills, as it’s special teams quality control coach.
Last year, the Arizona Cardinals hired Jen Welter, to coach the team’s inside linebackers, through the team’s training camp/preseason coaching internship.
Let’s also congratulate (and tell the haters to stop hating) the first full-time official hired last year by the NFL, Sarah Thomas (a former Conference USA Official).
Now let’s dribble over to basketball…in 2014, Becky Hammon became the NBA’s first full-time female assistant coach, with the San Antonio Spurs. Last summer she was the first woman to ever serve as head coach in the NBA’s summer league.
These are all huge steps, especially since we haven’t seen such a powerful presence of women in either the NFL or NBA. In 1978, Adele Harris was the first Black female executive in the NFL, working as the director of community relations for the Cardinals.
DIGITAL — 31385 — After nearly 30 years working for the Cardinals, Adele Harris will be retiring from her position of director of community relations this week. Photo by Tim Koors 1/29/01
Fast forward almost 40 years and check it out…like I said, “it’s about time!”
Paradigm Life 