49ers' Katie Sowers: 'Surreal' to be 1st female coach in SB history
When San Francisco 49ers offensive assistant Katie Sowers steps onto the field Sunday at Super Bowl LIV, she'll be making history as the first woman to coach on the NFL's biggest stage.
During Monday's Super Bowl Opening Night, Sowers was still trying to comprehend her achievement.
"Being the first female in the Super Bowl, it's surreal," Sowers said, according to ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "It really is. But what I want to continue to say is that even though I'm the first, the most important thing is I'm not the last and we continue to grow it."
Sowers will also be the first openly gay coach in Super Bowl history.
.@wyche89 talks to @49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers as she becomes the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl. TM #GoNiners #SBLIV
- NFL (@NFL) January 28, 2020
: #SBOpeningNight on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/ZaPd0b6KAI
The 33-year-old is in her fourth NFL season - the longest tenure of the eight women who coached in the league during 2019 - and her third with the 49ers, including two in her current role.
San Francisco's success this season helped shine a spotlight on Sowers, and the increased recognition from young female fans has been a driving force for her.
"Truly, a lot of the energy that I feed off of when I feel like the hours get long and it's tiring or emotionally draining, it's those young girls that I think about," she said. "I've had so many good ones. I had a girl who had my same last name that wrote to me. It was pretty cool, and she loves sports and she's so excited to see a woman with her same last name coaching."
Sowers added that she's far from done breaking new ground and "absolutely" wants to become a head coach in the NFL.
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