Katie Sowers Will Be The First Female And Openly Gay Coach In Super Bowl History
Katie Sowers has been with the 49ers since 2017
San Francisco 49ers’ offensive assistant coach Katie Sowers is about to make history. On Super Bowl Sunday, she’ll become both the first woman and the first openly gay coach to be in the Super Bowl.
When the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Green Bay Packers 37-20 to win the NFC Championship Game this weekend, it also thrust Sowers into the spotlight. She’s been in the NFL since 2016 when she became a coach for the Atlanta Falcons training camp and joined the 49ers in 2017. The 49ers will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl on February 2.
Sowers began her American football career playing in the Women’s Football Alliance and has loved the game since she was a child. She and twin sister Liz played as much as possible and Sowers was a gifted athlete, playing basketball in college on a scholarship, according to the Guardian. She then gained attention for her knowledge of the game and was thrilled to come on as a coach.
When the team hits Miami, Sowers will be part of the team trying to win their first title for the 49ers since 1994. “Takin our talents to south beach,” Sowers posted on Instagram Sunday night after their win.
Sowers is an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and helped inspire the 49ers when they started a Pride fan club in 2018. Sowers frequently talks about her girlfriend on Instagram on social media, sharing adorable pics of the two.
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Sowers has paved the way for other female coaches, and now, there are currently eight female coaches in the NFL. At this year’s Women’s Careers in Football Forum, Tampa head coach Bruce Arians said he was going to hire a full-time female coach, saying he was hoping to diversify his staff. He then hired coach Lo Locust as an assistant defensive-line coach and Maral Javadifar as a strength and conditioning coach.
“They’re good fits for what we need,” Arians told reporters. “The fact that their gender’s different – who gives a shit.”
With all eyes on the big game in February, Sowers will now have her incredible skills on display for the entire world to see.
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“She’s been tremendous,” 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has said of Sowers. “Just what she does with the receivers and all of the skill-position guys, the way she interacts with them, it’s special. She’s feisty, man. Katie is awesome out there. She’ll get after guys, and it’s fun to be around.”
