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INDIANAPOLIS – 49-year-old Katie Sowers is the only full-time coach in the NFL. She knows she is a pioneer. At the Women's Career Forum, which took place before the opening of the NFL National Scout Championship, she became a sounding board and mentor for the selected women present who are coaches, coaches and scouts. to become.
Sowers spoke with the NBC Sports Bay area after the forum and said she felt lucky to qualify for her third season in Santa Clara. But she added that she would never rest on her laurels. His willingness to help others find their way could even be stronger than ever.
"Just the energy I feel when I'm around these women," said Sowers, "and knowing that I'm opening doors to them, it's definitely something that gives me my" why "."
Sowers wants women to have more full-time jobs because you can not support yourself, let alone the family while being an intern.
"I want to get to a day," said Sowers, "where I do not hear women asking how many internships I need to do because I can not support my family."
This day may be a little closer. After the forum, Bruce Arians, Tampa Bay coach, announced that he would create a full-time coaching position for a woman.
"I do not know that I feel responsible," said Sowers. "I just feel a passion, and it's not fair for women. It's for all those who have a dream – and this may sound like a Miss America response – but those who have a dream and feel like a barrier because of the blinkers of society that we put in place. "
The advice of the seers to aspiring women is not only to find their "why", but also to make themselves irreplaceable.
"Really find your" why "because it's going to be tiring and exhausting," said Sowers. "If your 'why' does not align the path you follow, it's not going to be worth it.
"Do not try to do everything, find out what you are good at and what you will do to be an asset to the team and you will not be able to be replaced."
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Kyle Shanahan and his staff have obviously found Sowers irreplaceable. When asked how she had accomplished this, she shared what she thought would give her a length in advance.
"I wanted to make sure that even though I was a woman," said Sowers, "I was not someone who was changing the dynamics of the team. coaches had a staff meeting, I did not change the way people felt in the meeting, I wanted everyone to be on their own. "
But it was not just about making sure everyone was comfortable. Sowers' work ethic has not changed since she started her internship in Atlanta. When she's on the field, young players like receiver Kendrick Bourne approach her, listen to her and take her to heart because she's done her homework.
"I strove to do things that others did not do," Sowers said. "Kyle Shanahan is one of the best offensive minds in football. Entering the NFL for the first time and the operation of these programs is completely different from the women's game I learned.
"So I created my own document for each concept. We did not have this documentation. We did not have the rules. You learned it in class. You're supposed to take notes, but for me, I needed to see everything. "
Sowers explained that she still owns the document and has added it to each season. What began as a tool for her became a tool for some of the players. When she is on the practice field, the receivers work with her as they do all their coaches, asking questions and taking advice.
For some who come in contact with Sowers, this seems to be an incredible dynamic.
"I'm asked all the time," said Sowers. "Do you guys respect you?" It's a normal question. One day, curiously, I was watching ballet practice in Kansas City, a very female dominated field, but there was a male director.
"I thought how strange it would be if I joined him and said," You work in a field where there are a lot of women, do women listen to you? It would be a very strange question. But it just shows the power dynamics we have in society, the domination of men and the submission of women. "
With all the doubts and questions about going against the grain, Sowers explained why she chose the least borrowed route.
"I do it for this little girl who dreamed of playing football," said Sowers, "but who would never have thought of playing football, I was fortunate enough to have a second chance to follow the my father's footsteps as a coach, but lead a sport that was my first love. "
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