Katie Sowers Will Be the First Woman and Openly Gay Coach at the Super Bowl

Zachary Zane

From Men's Health

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Green Pay Packers on Sunday, which means they're headed to the Super Bowl. It also means that Katie Sowers will be the first woman and first openly LGBTQ+ person to ever coach at the championship game.

"Unreal night," Sowers tweeted after the big victory. "Takin our talents to South Beach ... Niners vs Chiefs ... I couldn’t ask for a better game."

Sowers, 33, has been an offensive assistant coach for the 49ers for the past two years. In 2016, she worked as a scouting intern for the Atlanta Falcons, where she met then-offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who’s now the head coach for the San Francisco team. Impressed with Sowers, Shanahan hired her to join the 49ers in 2017.

Prior to the start of the 2017 season, Sowers came out publicly as gay, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ coach in the NFL’s history. Sowers is also the second woman to full-time coach in NFL history following Kathryn Smith, who joined the Buffalo Bills in 2016.

“No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are,” Sowers told Outsports in 2017. “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.”

Sowers had a career playing in the Women’s Football Alliance, but retired in 2016 following a hip injury.

“Katie is a baller, 100 percent,” receiver Marquise Goodwin told Bay Area radio Station KNBR upon the time of her hire. “She understands the game. She’s very familiar with the game. She played in a women’s league and it may be a little different, but she definitely has the attitude it takes to be in that room. She brings a great vibe and she understands, so I’m happy that she’s on staff.”

The 49ers will play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV Sunday, February 2 at 6:30 PM EST.


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