Who Is The First Female Nfl Player?
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Who is the first female NFL player? This is a question that has been asked by many football fans over the years. There is no one definitive answer, but there are a few leading contenders.
Sarah Fuller
Sarah Fuller made history on November 27th, 2020 when she became the first female player in NFL history. Prior to her big day, Fuller was a goalkeeper for the Vanderbilt University women’s soccer team. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Fuller’s senior season was cut short.
Sarah Fuller’s College Career
Sarah Fuller is an American soccer player and goalkeeper who currently plays for the Vanderbilt Commodores women’s soccer team. She is also a member of the United States under-23 women’s national soccer team. Prior to playing college soccer, Fuller attended Caldwell High School, where she was a three-time NSCAA All-American, Parade All-American, and Gatorade Player of the Year for New Jersey.
In 2016, Fuller started all 20 games for Vanderbilt as a freshman, recording seven shutouts and a 0.97 goals against average en route to being named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. As a sophomore in 2017, she started all 19 games for Vanderbilt and recorded six shutouts with a 0.95 GAA. After the season, she was named a First Team All-American by United Soccer Coaches.
In 2018, her junior season, Fuller was sidelined for several weeks due to an illness but still managed to start 17 games in goal for Vanderbilt, recording five shutouts with a 1.12 GAA. She was named Second Team All-SEC and earned All-South Region honors from United Soccer Coaches.
As a senior in 2019, Fuller again started all 17 games she played in goal for Vanderbilt, recording seven shutouts with a 0.93 GAA en route to being named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC. She was also named First Team All-America by United Soccer Coaches and earned SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year honors.
Sarah Fuller’s Professional Career
Sarah Fuller made history on November 8th, 2020 when she became the first woman to play in a Power Five college football game. She kicked off for Vanderbilt in their game against Missouri, becoming the first female football player to score points in a Power Five game.
Fuller had originally been recruited to Vanderbilt as a goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team. She was pressed into service as a kicker after both of Vanderbilt’s regular kickers were injured.
Fuller is now signed with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks as a practice squad member. She is eligible to be called up to the active roster at any time, but has not yet appeared in an NFL game.
Katie Sowers
Katie Sowers is an offensive assistant for the San Francisco ers. She is also the first woman and openly gay coach in the NFL. Sowers has been with the ers organization since 2017. She started her career in football as a General Manager for the Kansas City Titans in the Women’s Football Alliance.
Katie Sowers’ College Career
Katie Sowers played college soccer at the University of Central Missouri, where she was a four-time All-American. She is the school’s all-time leading scorer with 103 goals. After college, she played professionally in the Women’s Premier Soccer League for the Kansas City Athletics.
Katie Sowers’ Professional Career
Katie Sowers has been a professional football player since 2017. She is a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). In 2019, she became the first woman to coach in the Super Bowl when the 49ers played in Super Bowl LIV.
Sowers was born in Hesston, Kansas, and played college football at Goshen College, an NCAA Division III school. After college, she worked as a scouting intern for the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL and as a coach for the Kansas City Titans of the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA). In 2017, she was hired by the 49ers as an offensive assistant, making her the first full-time female coach in the NFL.
In 2019, Sowers helped lead the 49ers to a 13-3 record and a berth in Super Bowl LIV. The 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 31-20 in the game.
Sowers has been open about her talents as both a player and coach, but she remains humble about her accomplishments. “I’m just trying to be one of the guys,” she told ESPN in 2019. “I just want to do my job.”
Jen Welter
NFL history was made on August 20, 2015, when the Arizona Cardinals hired Jen Welter to be a coaching intern for their preseason games. This made her the first female coach in NFL history. She worked with the Cardinals’ inside linebackers during the preseason.
Jen Welter’s College Career
Welter was a two-time All American at Boston College, where she played both running back and linebacker. She is the only player in college football history to have been named an All American at two different positions. She was also a member of the USA Women’s National Football Team, which won the IFAF World Championship in 2010.
Welter began her coaching career with the Texas Revolution of the Indoor Football League in 2014. She became the league’s first female coach, and also the first female to hold any coaching position in professional football. In 2015, she was hired by the Arizona Cardinals as a training camp/preseason intern coach, making her the first female coach in NFL history.
Jen Welter’s Professional Career
Jen Welter rose to prominence in 2015 when she became the first woman to hold a coaching position in the National Football League. She served as a linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals during the preseason, and her hiring made headlines around the world.
Welter began her playing career in 2000 with the Dallas Diamonds of the Women’s Professional Football League. She went on to play for several other teams in the league, including the New York Sharks and Boston Meadows. In 2014, she was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Women’s Tackle Football League.
In addition to her coaching career, Welter is also a qualified sports psychologist. She has worked with athletes of all levels, from youth players to professional stars. In 2017, she released her first book, Play Big: Lessons in Life and Football from My Time with the Arizona Cardinals.