Who is Jennifer King? Meet first Black female full-time NFL coach
Jennifer King was hired by Washington in January of last year as the NFL’s first Black woman to be a full-time assistant coach. She is one of just two full-time female assistant coaches in the league, along with Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive line coach Lori Locust.
Jennifer King on becoming the league’s first African American female assistant position coach. (via @ESPN) https://t.co/WsAfVFVpKa
King spent her time coaching on a basketball court, not the football field, not too long ago. She won the USCAA Division II national championship in 2018 as the women’s basketball head coach at Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina.
By pure coincidence, her office was near the practice facility of the Carolina Panthers. She worked her way into a meeting with then-coach Ron Rivera and was, after some time, employed as a coaching apprentice with the Panthers.
BLACK HISTORY:
Jennifer King became first female African-American position coach in NFL history in December of 2021! She served as the running back coach. King is one of two female assistant coaches currently in the NFL. #BlackHistoryMonth https://t.co/Jc1ceKdfZk
The hiring was especially remarkable for the Eden, North Carolina native. In her upbringing, she was taught from an early age to always stand up and possess a work ethic that pays off. This sticks with the 37-year-old to the present day:
“The guys were impressed and trying to get me on their team because I was talented athletically,” King said of her childhood. “I developed a strong groundwork. You really learn how to play and develop your skill set.”
In 2019, prior to her being with Washington, she served as an offensive assistant at Dartmouth, where she predominantly worked with wide receivers and assisted the program in winning the Ivy League championship.
King was an assistant wide receivers coach and special teams assistant for the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). She worked for the Hotshots in between her two apprenticeships with Carolina in 2018 and 2019.
King has also participated on the football field. From 2006 to 2019, she played on three professional women's football teams: the Carolina Phoenix, the New York Sharks and the D.C. Divas of the AAF.
Jennifer King made more NFL history
In Week 15 of the 2021 season, Washington’s running back coach, Randy Jordan, was one of seven coaches who were unable to coach in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
With Jordan out, King was promoted as the running backs coach for the game. She made history as the second female coach on game day and the first black woman to hold the title in league history.
Tonight @JenniferKing5 becomes the first African American female position coach in @NFL history! https://t.co/VEHMO4R74y
King said being the first black female coach in the league's history is special to her and that it’s important to be a role model.
“Being the first Black female full-time NFL coach is super special to me, and it’s very important for me to do a good job and just to be a good role model and a symbol of representation," said King. "I think it’s important to have diversity in football as it’s important to have diversity everywhere. There’s so many different points of view and backgrounds, and people bring different ideas to the table that are important. It was interesting to see so many playoff teams last season had women involved on their staff”
Without question, her place in NFL history will remain forever, and there will be others right behind her.