Katie Sowers will be the first LGBTQ coach and the first woman coach at the Super Bowl, after the San Francisco 49ers qualified for the biggest NFL game of the year with their victory over the Green Bay Packers yesterday.
Sowers, who is only the second woman to coach in the NFL and is the very first out LGBTQ coach in the NFL, is the assistant offensive coach to the San Francisco 49ers.
Related: This year’s Super Bowl will be the first to feature male cheerleaders
Sowers, 33, played in the Women’s Football Alliance for the West Michigan Mayhem and the Kansas City Titans, before retiring in 2016 due to a hip injury. Upon her retirement, she got an internship with the Atlanta Falcons before moving to the 49ers in 2017.
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In 2017, she came out as a lesbian.
“No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are,” Sowers said at the time.
“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. 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.”
Now her team is singing her praises.
“She been tremendous,” 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo told CBS San Francisco. “Katie was here before I was, but just what she does with the receivers, all the skill positions guys, how she interacts with them. It’s special. She’s feisty, man. Katie is awesome out there. She’ll get after guys…. It’s fun to be around.”
Sowers appeared in an ad for the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 tablet, where she said: “I’m not here to just be the token female. I’m here to help us win.”
