ABOVE: San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Katie Sowers, image via YouTube.
Every Super Bowl is historic, but next month’s Super Bowl LIV in Miami will be a special landmark for LGBTQ sports fans.
Offensive assistant coach Katie Sowers of the San Francisco 49ers has already made headlines by becoming the first openly gay coach in NFL history, in an interview with Outsports when she joined the team in 2017. With the team’s win against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, she became not only the first openly LGBTQ coach to reach the Super Bowl, but the first female coach as well.
She told Outsports at the time, “No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are. 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, 33, is also the first female coach for the 49ers and only the second female coach in the history of the NFL. A former player in the Woman’s Football Alliance who turned to coaching after a successful career on the field, she was featured in a high-profile Microsoft ad that began airing January 3.
Sowers took to her Instagram following the 49ers’ NFC Championship win to share her excitement over the victory, posting a video from the field with the caption, “Takin our talents to south beach.”
The San Francisco 49ers will play against the Kansas City Chiefs when Super Bowl LIV takes place at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on February 2. The game will air on FOX.
