Katie Sowers: The first female coach heads to the Super Bowl

has become the first woman and openly gay coach to coach in the Super Bowl . This is in her fourth season in the NFL and her second as an offensive assistant with the San Francisco 49ers . In 2017, she spent the season with the team as a seasonal offensive assistant.

Sowers currently works with the team's young nucleus of wide receivers since the 49ers boast one of the youngest receiving corps in the NFL .

In 2016, Sowers spent the offseason/training camp with the Atlanta Falcons , working closely with Atlanta assistant head coach/wide receivers coach Raheem Morris in organizing, conducting and concluding practice drills. Following her time as a coach , she spent nine months as a scouting intern with the Falcons.

Sowers joined Atlanta after spending five years, from 2012 to 2016, as the athletic director of the City of Kansas City.

The 49ers coach is also a former member of the 2013 United States Women's National Football Team and was a player in the WFA for eight years. Additionally, Sowers earned her master's degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in pedagogy from the University of Central Missouri in 2012.

Her successful career has led Katie Sowers to become a role model for little girls and grown women across the sports world. Moreover, she has worked hard this year and that has helped the San Francisco 49ers to make it to the Super Bowl LIV.

When asked about the success of the team, she explains that she: " believed in them " and added that "Bill Walsh always said the most important thing you can tell someone is 'I believe in you.' That's what I continue to reiterate to my players , because it's amazing, the growth that happens when you just tell them, ' I believe in you .' "

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So far, Sowers has had a huge impact on players such as Kendrick Bourne , as Sowers was the difference between making the team and his exit from the NFL .

"I remember my rookie year, she calmed me down after I had like two drops in my first preseason game," recalled Bourne in an interview. "She tried to calm me down and told me to just live in the moment and not get too overexcited about anything, and to just stay the same. (...) I told her she ended up calming me down, and I had a good game, a real good game. I ended up making the team that year."

Two seasons later, Bourne is playing a key role in Shanahan's offense; he led all 49ers receivers with five touchdown catches in the regular season and added another in their Divisional Round win over the Minnesota Vikings .

Dante Pettis

felt a similar impact from Sowers during his troubled second year in the league. A second-round draft pick in 2018, Pettis hit the ground running and tallied 27 receptions for 467 yards and five TDs in a season where the 49ers won four games. This season, however, Pettis missed opportunities and Sowers proceed to make her mark on his personal journey.

"There's a lot of times where, like, if we have questions about a play, we can ask her, and she always helps," he said. "And there's times where she'll check in on me if I have a tough game or whatever. She's always saying, 'You good?' and 'Just know you're important to this team,' and stuff like that. It's pretty cool to have someone like that around every day.

"And for me personally, I have a unique relationship with her. I love women's sports , and she's played them her whole life, so we started talking about that and different stuff, and it grew from there. She's a coach and a friend to me. I really appreciate that."

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Furthermore, veteran Emmanuel Sanders has worked with many coaches throughout his 10-year NFL career , having made the Pro Bowl twice and won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos , and he said Sowers brings a business-like but relaxed energy to practice and game day.

"She's one of the coolest coaches that I've been around. I like being around her, truthfully," he said. "She's kinda laid-back, chill, and you need that sometimes. We're in a business where there is a lot of chaos and a lot of stress. You kind of need someone with a calm voice to tell you, 'Hey, everything's gonna be all right.' "

Said second-year wideout Richie James : "She has more knowledge than what people expect from a game standpoint, for sure. She works hard at her craft, just as much as [the players] do. She loves it, she loves the game as much as we do. You gotta respect it. (...) and she's really funny, to be honest with you, and she can relate to us more than you'd think."

For some, it takes years to make their mark in this sport. For Sowers , it's taken just four seasons. Like everyone who crosses paths with the encouraging, knowledgeable coach, Bourne knows she is just getting started: "Her role's not as big as it's gonna be."

Congratulation Katie!

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