The NFL’s first Black female coach, Jennifer King, commemorated her career history with the league by serving as the keynote speaker for Yakima Rotary Club’s Black History Month celebration ahead of the Super Bowl. King, who began her NFL career as a wide receivers coach intern for the Carolina Panthers, broke employment barriers for women who came after her, like Autumn Lockwood, who works for the Philadelphia Eagles.
According to Apple Valley News Now, King spoke to Rotary members, students from Pacific Northwest University and members of the Black African American Alliance Group.
"You know when you become Black history, which is insane to me, you know I didn't start this to do that, but it's pretty special," King said. "And my message is simple, to prepare, dream, when you get those opportunities you've got to be ready to knock them out of the park. But I think that's the main thing, allow kids to dream, dreams that people laugh at, I think it's so important to have those."
Related: Game Changers: Autumn Lockwood Becomes First Black Female Coach to Win Super Bowl
King’s career expanded beyond the Panthers as she was later hired as a running backs coach with the Washington Commanders and then the Chicago Bears. Now, she has left the NFL behind her and joined the coaching staff at North Carolina Central University as an offensive analyst.
When she served as the assistant running backs coach with the Chicago Bears, King and her one fellow female coach in the league represented only 1% of all coaching roles in the NFL.
"We want to be able to share her with the community and allow the community to get to know her as well and hear her wonderful story," Yakima Rotary Club president Sheri Bissel told attendees last week.
