Katie Sowers, an offensive assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers, will make history on Feb. 2, becoming the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl, when the Niners take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Miami.
More than two years ago, Sowers became the second full-time female coach in the league when 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan asked her to join his staff as an assistant. She was the first openly gay female coach in the league and will be the first openly gay coach in the Super Bowl.
"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 told Outsports.com after the 2017 promotion.
The first full-time female coach in the NFL was Kathryn Smith of the Buffalo Bills in 2016, according to USA Today.
Sowers, a graduate of Central Missouri, is in her fourth season in the NFL and second as an offensive assistant with the Niners, according to her bio on the team website. She previously served as a seasonal offensive assistant with the club.
She joined San Francisco in June 2017 as part of the 49ers Bill Walsh Minority Fellowship, during which she worked with the team's wide receivers, the team said.
Sowers previously spent time coaching wide receivers during training camp with the Atlanta Falcons. She also was a scouting intern with Atlanta.
Sowers was a football player herself in the WFA (Women's Football Alliance) for eight years.
