49ers’ lesbian coach an NFL 1st
Katie Sowers is also the league’s 2nd female full-time assistant
A week after she made history by becoming the second full-time female coach in the NFL, 49ers assistant Katie Sowers made history again, becoming the first openly lesbian or gay coach in the league’s history.
Sowers, who worked with the team’s wide receivers as an intern this summer before accepting a full-time role, gave an interview to SBNation’s OutSports website that was published Tuesday, confirming her sexual orientation.
“No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are,” Sowers, 31, told the site. “There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, that do not feel comfortable being public about their sexual orientation.
“The more we can create an environment that welcomes all types of people, no matter their race, gender, sexual
orientation, religion, the more we can help ease the pain and burden that many carry every day.”
Sowers’ hiring comes at a time when social issues are playing a major role in the sports world, ranging from national anthem protests to domestic violence to drug abuse. In this case, the 49ers made a historic hire in terms of both gender equity and sexual orientation.
This isn’t the first time a Bay Area sports franchise has played such a progressive role. The Giants were the first team in Major League Baseball to raise awareness about HIV/ AIDS by partnering with the Until There’s a Cure organization in 1994. More recently, Warriors President Rick Welts became the first openly gay executive in any major sport when he came out publicly.
On Aug. 15, the 49ers’ new head coach, Kyle Shanahan, confirmed that Sowers would have a full-time role on the staff this season.
Sowers, whose Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship internship ended last week, follows Kathryn Smith, who became the first female full-time coach in league history last year with the Buffalo Bills.
Shanahan has not specified a title for Sowers, but she will continue working with the 49ers wide receivers. She had interned with the Atlanta Falcons last year when Shanahan was that team’s offensive coordinator. After her coaching internship ended, Sowers spent nine months with the Falcons as a scouting intern.
“She’s a hard worker,” Shanahan said last week. “You don’t even notice her because she just goes to work and does what’s asked, and because of that, she’s someone we would like to keep around.”
The team did not provide additional comment Tuesday.
Sowers’ revelation makes her unique in a league where only one player, defensive end Michael Sam, has come out as gay during his career. Sam was selected by the Rams in the seventh round of the 2014 draft months after coming out, but never played in a regularseason game before he was released from the Cowboys’ practice squad in 2015.
Safety Don Jones, who signed with the 49ers in March, was briefly suspended by the Dolphins during the 2014 offseason for his socialmedia reaction to the Rams’ selection of Sam. Jones said, via Twitter, “horrible” and “OMG” after Sam was selected. Jones underwent sensitivity training and apologized to Sam in a statement.
In June, former NFL offensive lineman Ryan O’Callaghan, who played at Cal and grew up in Redding, came out as gay. According to Outsports.com, O’Callaghan became the 11th known gay player in NFL history. The first was running back Dave Kopay, who spent the first four seasons of his nine-year career with the 49ers. Kopay, 75, came out in 1975, three years after leaving the NFL.
Prior to coaching, according to the Outsports article, Sowers played football in the Women’s Football Alliance, where she won a world title in 2013 alongside her twin sister, Liz.
On her Facebook page, Katie Sowers singled out Falcons assistant general manager Scott Pioli for praise:
“Many people ask how I made it to where I am, on such an untraditional route and it’s easy to say ‘you have to believe in yourself and dreams will come true’ but that’s only part of it, and in my opinion that’s only the second part. It’s important for all to know that dreams are achieved by first finding someone who sees your worth and value, regardless of your gender, and takes the necessary steps to clear a path, even on the path less traveled,” wrote Sowers, who has a master’s degree from Central Missouri University.
“Those people are hard to find, but I was blessed to begin my journey in the NFL because of a close friend and mentor in Scott Pioli. Scott’s passion for equal opportunity and his belief in a small town girl from Kansas, allowed me the opportunity to follow my passion.”