Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera: "She demonstrated all of the qualities that are needed to work full-time on my staff... Coach King is always eager to learn and has shown tremendous growth since starting here last season"
Tuesday 26 January 2021 17:24, UK
Jennifer King has been promoted to assistant running backs coach by the Washington Football Team, making her the first Black female full-time coach in NFL history.
King's hire was reported last week but became official Tuesday morning. She spent the 2020 season as a coaching intern in Washington, predominantly working alongside running backs coach Randy Jordan.
King also made history earlier this month, alongside Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust and assistant strength and conditioning coach Maral Javadifar, when they became the first female coaches to occupy opposing sidelines in the playoffs.
King previously spent time in 2018 and 2019 working as an intern during the offseason and training camp with the Carolina Panthers, and was quality control coach with Dartmouth College during the 2019 season.
She also served as an assistant wide receiver coach and special teams assistant for the now-defunct Arizona Hotshots in the Alliance of American Football.
Washington head coach Ron Rivera said in a statement: "Coach King is well deserving of the promotion to assistant running backs coach.
"She came to Washington eager for the opportunity to work as a full-year coaching intern and learn from our staff. She got the chance to experience not only the in-season work that goes into being a full-time coach in this league but also the countless hours that are spent preparing in the offseason as well.
"She demonstrated all of the qualities that are needed to work full-time on my staff. She is a hard worker, a great communicator and a quality person.
"Coach King is always eager to learn and has shown tremendous growth since starting here last season. The sky is truly the limit for her."
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