Jennifer King Makes History as the First Female Coach for the Chicago Bears

Jennifer King made history when she became the first female to be hired as a full-time NFL coach for the Washington Commanders in 2021. Three years later, she made history once again, becoming the first female coach for the Chicago Bears in their 104 years of history.

King is a native of Reidsville, North Carolina. At the age of 39, she has worked as hard as she can to continue to pave the way for so many aspiring women who want to coach in the NFL.

Ron Rivera, former NFL Coach for the Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders, gave King her first opportunity in 2018 as a coaching intern at Carolina.

She served in that role for two years.

In 2020, King joined Rivera at the Commanders as a coaching intern. Rivera was impressed with King’s acumen and brought her on full-time a year later, making history by being hired as the assistant running backs coach. She held the role for the past three seasons.

Now she’s on to her next chapters in the Windy City.

King mentioned that she is excited to be a part of the organization that her former boss used to play for.

“Obviously working for coach Rivera, he’s been so important in my life and him being a part of those historic defenses with the Bears as well. It’s definitely an exciting time, the Guilford College graduate told the media. “Hopefully, we can hit the ground running and get ready for 2024.”

The Chicago Bears were just as excited to have King join the organization as well. Head Coach Matt Eberflus mentioned that he is excited about her knowledge.

“She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our football team. She has a contagious spirit and coaches the game with immense passion. We are looking forward to working with her and seeing the positive impact that she will have on the Chicago Bears.”

Congratulations to Jennifer King. Hopefully, her finding a new home without Head Coach Ron Rivera will e persuade other teams to follow the Chicago Bears’ lead.