Champion women’s basketball coach abandons hoops for dream job in NFL with Panthers, Bears
Chicago Bears running back Ian Wheeler celebrates with offensive assistant-running backs coach Jennifer King after scoring against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Aug. 10, 2024.Jennifer King was a champion women’s basketball coach when she made a tough decision to pursue a career in football.Within three years of switching sports, King became the first Black female full-time coach in the NFL when Washington hired her in 2021 as an assistant running backs coach.
King had just led Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division II title. But football was first in her heart. She played quarterback and safety on a women’s tackle football team and wanted an opportunity in coaching. “He invited me over for rookie minicamp,” King said. “I thought I’d be there for two days, but it turned into about four months.”
When Rivera became the head coach in Washington in 2020, King again joined his staff as a coaching intern. He gave her a full-time job the following year. Over the past five years, there has been a 187-per-cent increase of women in football operation roles in the NFL. Since its inception in 2017, more than 400 participants have gone through the Women’s Forum with more than 250 opportunities emerging for women in all levels of football.
“I’ve been fortunate to work with some great staffs,” she said. “Coach Flus, we have a great staff here. It’s all about development, which is great. I love it. He’s big on leadership. So, the challenges haven’t been the same as possibly people would think. Like it hasn’t been a lot of: ‘Oh, it’s like a woman here.’ I haven’t really experienced any of that. It’s all about building those relationships and trust in the building with the players and the staff that you’re working with.
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