Jennifer King was a champion women’s basketball coach when she made a tough decision to pursue a career in football. She hasn’t had to look back. Within three years of switching sports, King became the first Black female full-time coach in the NFL when Washington hired her as an assistant running backs coach.
FILE - Chicago Bears running back Ian Wheeler celebrates with offensive assistant-running backs coach Jennifer King after scoring during the second half of a preseason NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y., Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024. Chicago Bears coach Jennifer King gestures on the field in Canton, Ohio, Aug. 1, 2024, ahead of the Hall of Fame NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns. FILE - Jennifer King of the Chicago Bears NFL football team, posed Friday, Feb.
King spent the summer of 2018 as a coaching intern for the Panthers, working with wide receivers. She moved on to join Rick Neuheisel’s staff as an assistant wide receivers coach and special teams coach for Arizona in the short-lived Alliance of American Football. “She had a drive about her that just really said she wanted to do this, and she also played the game,” Rivera said. “She talked about the little things that she learned in playing, showing how aware she is about the game. So I just thought that she had this desire, this drive to want to do this at the top level, and I wanted to create an opportunity.
“The first Women’s Forum I attended, all of the women there, we had other jobs outside of football wanting to get into football,” King said. “I think this year almost everyone there was already working in football, which is incredible. So, I think we’re definitely heading in the right direction. It’s a lot of bright stars coming through the ranks on our way up.”
Ron Rivera Washington Commanders NC State Wire IL State Wire NFL Sports North Carolina National Football League NFL Football Rick Neuheisel Carolina Panthers S Matt Eberflus
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