Women have been making all kinds of moves in the sports world recently. First, Becky Hammond became the NBA’s first female full-time assistant coach when she was hired by the San Antonio Spurs last August. Then, in April, Sarah Thomas made waves by becoming the NFL’s first female full-time official. Now, the NFL has pushed the envelope even further by hiring the league’s first female coach. On Monday, Jen Welter made history by becoming the first woman in the extremely male-dominated NFL to be hired for a coaching position. Formerly a professional football player for the Women’s Football Alliance, she will now be a training camp and preseason assistant coaching intern for the Arizona Cardinals.
Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians had no reservations about hiring a woman to be part of his staff. “Coaching is nothing more than teaching,” Arians said on Monday. “One thing I have learned from players is, ‘How are you going to make me better? If you can make me better, I don’t care if you’re the Green Hornet, man, I’ll listen.’ I really believe she’ll have a great opportunity with this internship through training camp to open some doors for her.”
While it may seem like she has reached the ultimate goal, this is just the latest accomplishment for Welter. The 37-year-old trailblazer became the first woman to play in a men’s football league back in February 2014, playing running back and special teams for the IFL’s Texas Revolution. The team liked her so much that one year later, they hired her as a linebackers and special teams coach, making her the first female to ever coach in a men’s professional football league. Now, she’s on her way to conquer the NFL. Oh, and did I mention she has a PhD? That’s Dr. Jen Welter to you. There are no limits to what she can do next!
Welter took to Twitter to express her excitement about the new gig:
Congrats Jen!! Here at Baller Alert, we salute you for being a ballerific woman! Who run the world?!
