Ê-Interview with Dr. Jen Welter—First Female NFL Coach
Making Friday night lights shine even brighter, meet Dr. Jen Welter! The first female NFL coach and the first female running back, Coach Jen is a two-time gold medalist (with a PhD in psych) who wanted to see more girls on the field. Girls like YOU. Read how she founded Grrridiron Girls and what she wants you to know about #kickingglass.
Ê: Lots of girls know that you were the first female NFL coach (Arizona Cardinals—so cool), but not everyone knows that you were also the first female to play running back in men’s pro football (even cooler!). What was that like and why was it such an important glass ceiling to break?
JW: Football has often been referred to as the final frontier for women in sports, so for me, I believed if we could change football, we could change the world. What better place to show that women could literally tackle anything, in football and in life, right? I didn’t have a grand plan of playing men’s football or coaching in the NFL—those were things that had not happened, so I didn’t even dream it was possible. Actually, when I made my first football team, I just made a promise to myself that I would step up to whatever challenge the game put in my way. I had no idea how big those challenges would be! But I just kept following the game with that mentality. Each “kick glass” moment was especially important because it gave permission to girls to dream bigger than I ever did. Playing with the guys was amazing. We all became better versions of ourselves through that and became really tight in a situation that everyone assumed would fail. They looked out for me on the field, and I looked out for them off the field. We became so close that it actually caught the attention of the new head coach the following season, and he offered me a coaching position.
Ê: We love that you play and coach, but what we also really love are your flag football camps for girls! How did these get started, and what’s your ultimate goal?
JW: When I made it to the NFL, there were girls (just like you) who reached out to me from all over the world and sent pictures with footballs and letters thanking me for giving them permission to be different. Obviously, being the first, I knew how it felt to be different, and I actually realized what makes me different makes me special. I wanted all those girls to know that they were special too. I tried to post and share their stories as much as possible, but I knew I wanted to do more. When I finished in the NFL, I was coaching camps all over the country, and I realized none of them were for girls! So I decided I wanted to do them. I thought everyone would see what I saw, but they didn’t! Believe it or not, everyone told me it wouldn’t work. Well, thankfully, I am used to proving people wrong, so with just a few people who believed in me and no sponsors, I announced a national tour. In our first year, we did nineteen camps in fifteen cities. Our philosophy of Grrridiron Girls is “showing girls there is no game you cannot play, and no field you do not belong in or on.” Teaching confidence through football. I want girls to know everything is possible, they can do everything the boys can when the opportunities are open and the coaching is provided. I want Grrridiron Girls to represent every girl who tackles her dreams, and that we have leagues and games domestically and internationally.
Ê: So many girls quit their sports in middle school, and we’re always urging girls to “stay in their cleats.” What would you say to girls our age to convince them to stay on the field and in their sport?
JW: We love you. We see you. We want you. You belong. And . . . the future is bright for girls in sports. There are doors opening every day because there are women kicking glass for you. I was working on the “keep playing like a girl” campaign, and I heard three stats:
7 out of 10 girls feel like they don’t belong in sports;
7 out of 10 girls feel like society doesn’t support them in sports;
and 5 out of 10 girls will opt out of sports by the time they finish puberty.
To me, that was a call to action; I knew if I was not that woman, that visible female role model who was hands on with you and working to give you better, then the wrong woman was the first female coach in the NFL . . . girls, everything that made me wrong by certain standards and outdated thinking is what actually made me right. Get out there and go after what you want. Have fun.
