Jen Welter already broke down barriers when she became the first non-kicker to suit up in a professional football game in America, and now she’s about to set a new record.
On Monday, the Arizona Cardinals announced that Welter would be joining the team as a training camp/preseason interim linebacker coach, making her the first woman to take a coaching position in NFL history.
Welter has a long history with the game. She was a college rugby player who transitioned to football after graduating, playing 14 seasons professionally, most of them in the Women’s Football Alliance. In 2013, she became the first female football player to suit up for a men’s team at somewhere other than kicker, playing running back for the Texas Revolution.
Female @NFL coach? The #AZCardinals and @BruceArians make it happen for @jwelter47 . https://t.co/qQjpAVyPjG
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) July 28, 2015
She appears to be a good fit on Arizona, where coach Bruce Arians has been open about the idea of a woman coaching in the NFL.
“The minute they can prove they can make a player better, they’ll be hired,” he said earlier this year.
While Arians wouldn’t say if there’s a permanent place for Jen Welter on the Cardinals, he does hope she can make it in the NFL.
“Coaching is nothing more than teaching,” Arians said 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.”
Jen Welter also has a background that seems well-suited for coaching. She has a master’s degree in sport psychology and a PhD in psychology, and knows a bit about winning. She helped lead Team USA to gold medals at the International Federation of American Football Women’s World Championship in 2010 and 2013.
Welter has coaching experience as well. She was hired by the Texas Revolution of the Indoor Football League to coach linebackers and special teams.
Jen Welter is not the only woman breaking ground in the NFL. Earlier this year, the league announced that Sarah Thomas would become a full-time official, the first woman ever to do so.
[Image via Today.com]
