One of my favorite memories from college was the year that my girls and I hosted a little Superbowl party in our dorm’s suite. That year, I became close to Kelly, who is now a lifelong sister. We had met freshman year, but it wasn’t until we lived together sophomore year that I really got to know her. I was amused and surprised when I discovered that she was a big football fan. While I consider myself an athlete, I don’t come from a family of sports fans, so being raised with football culture was complete foreign to me. So, it was an awesome sight to see when little 5’3 Kelly plopped herself on the couch between two 6’0 dudes to hold court and talk informed smack about the game on the screen. Classic!
So Kelly popped into my head when I heard the news that Jen Welter was recently hired by the Arizona Cardinals as the first female coach (intern) in NFL history. Check out Welter’s unique set of qualifications for this role:
- She played rugby in college
- She was on the Dallas Diamonds team in the Women’s Football Alliance (as a linebacker) for more than a decade
- Last year, she was recruited to play running back for the minor league (men’s) indoor team, Texas Revolution
- She became part of the coaching staff (assistant coach) of the Texas Revolution
Bonus: she’s looking forward to being a role model for little girls who as passionate about sports as she is. The New York Times quoted her:
“I want little girls to grow up knowing that when they put their mind to something, when they work hard, that they can do anything regardless [of the expectations of others]”
Good luck, Jen, you’re going to kick some butt! I look forward to following your career.
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