NFL News and Rumors 2016: Buffalo Bills Make History by Hiring First Full-Time Female Coach
History was made on Wednesday when the Buffalo Bills hired the first-ever female full-time coach in NFL in the person of Kathryn Smith, who by the way will be serving as a special teams quality control coach come next season.
The hiring of Smith is reportedly a brainchild of head coach Rex Ryan. But she's someone who isn't really a stranger to the game or the league. Before the new title, she previously served as Ryan's administrative assistant. She also worked for the New York Jets under Ryan for more than a decade.
Smith's addition to the Bills' coaching staff came in several months after the Arizona Cardinals hired Jen Welter as the team's training camp assistant coach. However, the difference between the two is that Smith's position is a full-time job, which means she owns the distinction of being the very first woman in NFL history to get a full-time coaching position.
In a statement released by the Bills, Ryan talked about the qualifications of Smith. "Kathryn Smith has done an outstanding job in the seven years that she has worked with our staff," he said. "She certainly deserves this promotion based on her knowledge and strong commitment," the head coach added.
Ryan further revealed that he actually consulted and talked to Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians about the plan of hiring Smith. It made sense because Arians made the same move in a previous signing of a female linebackers coach.
In this new age of sports, the role of women, both as a player or coach, has significantly improved and transformed. This isn't the first time that a woman has been put in the spotlight in men's professional sports team. Women's basketball great Becky Hammon was hired as a full-time assistant coach by San Antonio Spurs head coach Greg Popovich. She even had the opportunity to coach the Spurs Summer League team in one of their games prior to the start of this NBA season.
