Katie Sowers facts for kids
Sowers in 2016
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| Born: | August 7, 1986 Hesston, Kansas, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College: | Central Missouri |
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Katie Sowers (born August 7, 1986) is an American football coach who used to work in the National Football League (NFL). She made history as the first female coach and the first openly LGBT coach to be part of a Super Bowl team.
Katie started her football journey playing in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA). Later, she became a coach in the NFL. She coached for the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers. In 2021, she joined the Kansas City Chiefs. Today, Katie Sowers works in the sports department at Ottawa University.
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Early Life and Education
Katie Sowers was born on August 7, 1986, in Hesston, Kansas. She started playing American football when she was only eight years old.
When she was in high school in 2004, Katie was a talented athlete. Her basketball team finished third in the state championship. She also placed fifth in the javelin throw at the state track and field competition.
After high school, Katie went to Hesston College. She then moved to Goshen College, where she continued to play basketball and soccer. She also competed in javelin at national college championships in 2008 and 2009. After earning her first degree, she studied kinesiology (the study of body movement) at the University of Central Missouri. She earned her master's degree in 2013.
Career in Football
Playing Career
While she was a student at Goshen College, Katie began playing football. She played for teams like the West Michigan Mayhem and the Kansas City Titans in the Women's Football Alliance.
In 2013, Katie was part of the United States women's national American football team. Her team won the 2013 IFAF Women's World Championship, which is a big international competition. She continued to play in the WFA until 2016, when she had to stop due to a hip injury.
Coaching Career
In 2016, Katie Sowers started her coaching career in the National Football League. She worked as an intern, helping to coach wide receivers for the Atlanta Falcons.
The next year, in 2017, Katie joined the San Francisco 49ers. She started as an intern and then became a full-time offensive assistant coach. In her first season with the 49ers, the team won the NFC Championship. This meant they went to Super Bowl LIV. Katie became the first female coach and the first openly LGBT coach to be part of a Super Bowl team.
After her contract with the 49ers ended in 2020, she joined the coaching staff of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021. In October 2021, Katie took on a new role at Ottawa University. She became the director of athletic strategic initiatives and also coaches the women's flag football team there.
Personal Life
Katie Sowers is a pioneer for diversity in sports. Before the 2017 NFL season, she became the first openly LGBT coach in the National Football League. In 2020, the president of Goshen College apologized for not allowing her to volunteer coach there in 2009.
Katie has a twin sister named Liz. Liz also played football as a wide receiver. Today, Liz works with Katie as the head coach of the women's flag football team at Ottawa University.
See also
In Spanish: Katie Sowers para niños
