When Jennifer King attended her first National Football League Women's Forum in 2018, all of the more than 40 women in attendance had jobs outside of sports. When Dr. King returned this year, all the women she met were already working in football.
“This shows the incredible growth of women in this sport,” said King, who was a speaker at the “Breaking Barriers: The First Black Women to Coach in the NFL” event held May 3 at Newman Arena. “I'm doing it,” he said.
“It’s something that the other female coaches in the league and I take very seriously,” she said. [role] Be a model and be the representation we didn't have for those who come after us. ”
In an hour-long conversation moderated by student-athlete Sydney Moore '24, Dr. King reflected on her journey in college and professional sports and discussed opportunities for women in athletics, from the importance of diversity and representation. We touched on a wide range of topics, including the expansion of
A former student-athlete at Guilford College, King played for 13 years in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA), a semi-professional, full-contact women's league. She began her coaching career in college basketball and often held other jobs to supplement her income, even serving as a police officer in her home state of North Carolina.
King eventually rose through the ranks as a coach, leading Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte to a 22-4 record and its first American Collegiate Athletic Association Division II championship in 2018. Despite his success, King quit college basketball the following year to pursue his dream of working in football.
“It's really important to find what you like,” King said. “Don't be afraid to improve yourself and don't be afraid to take a leap into the unknown. When you have an opportunity in life, you have to seize it.”
Currently, King is one of only 12 women in a full-time coaching position in the NFL. She entered the sport as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College and with the Arizona Hotshots of the now-defunct American Football Federation. After she spent two years as a coaching intern with the NFL's Carolina Panthers, King accompanied then-head coach Ron Rivera, whom she met at the 2018 NFL Women's Forum, to the Washington Commanders.
In 2021, King was promoted from coaching intern to assistant running backs coach position in Washington, becoming the first Black woman named to a full-time NFL coaching staff. King recently accepted an assistant coaching position with the Chicago Bears, making her the first female coach in the franchise's 104-year history.
“I got to this point by being myself every day,” said King, who credits the coaches and players she's met along the way with making her feel welcome. “I think it’s really important for people to find a place where they feel confident that they don’t have to show up as someone else.”
While answering questions from the audience, King recalled his first day with the Panthers. A fan of her team and a new recruit, she stood nervously against the wall as Luke Cushley, the team's star linebacker, approached her and introduced himself. Dr. King appreciated the gesture, but given that she had the jersey at her house, she didn't need an explanation.
“That set the tone for everything,” King said. “I think we're in a new era in sports, where for a lot of people who are currently in leadership positions, it's no longer new for women to be in those positions. There are a lot of things, but I haven't experienced many of them yet. [negative] You're probably thinking that I would have because people are much better and we're moving into a new generation. ”
A strong advocate for continuing to expand opportunities for women in athletics, King is the founder of the NFL's Women's Forum, the Women's Sports Foundation, and her own organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children through camps, experiences, and community programs. I remain involved with my organization, the King Group.
Dr. King also spoke about the growing interest in women's sports and the important lessons she and other women can learn from participating in track and field.
“Everything that can happen as a leader, you've already experienced,” King said. “You've been through life as an athlete, getting beat up, and then when you move into a leadership role, you realize you're seasoned and capable of leading a company or an organization.”
This talk was sponsored by the Office of Black Student Empowerment in Student and Campus Life and sponsored by Cornell University Athletics and Athletics. Gender Equality Resource Center. LGBT Resource Center.
Ben Badua is the Creative Content Manager at Student and Campus Life.
