Five Things To Know About 49ers Assistant Katie Sowers, the First Female Coach in Super Bowl History
49ers coach Katie Sowers is the first openly gay and first female coach in Super Bowl history.
The offensive assistant helped propel an offensive attack that was second in rushing and second in points during the regular season.
Ahead of San Francisco's Super Bowl LIV matchup against the Chiefs, here's what you should know about the coach:
1. She was once barred from coaching an amateur basketball team because she was a lesbian.
"As I was finishing college, I actually got turned down from a volunteer coaching job because I was a lesbian," Sowers told OutSports in 2017. "I was told 'because of your lifestyle, we ask that you do not come around the team.'"
She said that the experience motivated her further.
"Without that experience, I would not be where I am today,” she said.
2. She played professional football as a quarterback and defensive back in the Women's Football Alliance.
Sowers led the U.S. national team to a gold medal at the Women's World Championships in 2013. In a semifinal win against Sweden, Sowers caught five interceptions with three pick-sixes.
3. Sowers has wanted to be on a football team since childhood.
In an advertisement with a tablet company that will air during the Super Bowl, Sowers read from a journal she wrote as a child that expressed her desire to one day be a member of a professional football team.
“I hope someday I will be a good football player,” she wrote at the time. “I am good at football. When we play football at home, I can make a touchdown in one catch. I am the leader of our football club.”
"I hope, someday, I will be on a real football team," Sowers reads in the commercial.
4. Her longterm mission is to catalyze inclusivity in the NFL.
"No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are," Sowers told OutSports. "There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, that do not feel comfortable being public about their sexual orientation. 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."
5. She has Jimmy Garoppolo's stamp of approval.
"She's been tremendous," quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo told reporters about Sowers after the team's 37-20 victory in the NFC championship game over the Packers. "Katie was here before I was, but just what she does with the receivers, all the skill position guys, how she interacts with them. It's special. She's feisty, man. Katie is awesome out there. She'll get after guys. ... It's fun to be around."
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