The Washington Football Team announced Tuesday that Jennifer King is now its new assistant running backs coach, making NFL history by hiring the first Black woman for the full-time position.
King served as the team’s coaching intern during the 2020 season.
“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,” head coach Ron Rivera said in a release.
Rivera praised King for her experience and qualities that are needed for the position. “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. I know she will continue to be an asset to Coach Turner, Coach Jordan and the running back group, and she earned this opportunity with her hard work. The sky is truly the limit for her,” he added.
“Coach always tells us to be where our feet are and that’s kind of where I am right now, just focusing on how we can be better next season,” King was quoted as saying. “I’m not sure with the current hiring practices of head coaches, but I really hope that some of these guys who are more than qualified get their opportunities,” she continued.
HERstory made‼️
From the original trailblazer @BillieJeanKing to @JenniferKing5! pic.twitter.com/IkVbdF6uEm
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) January 26, 2021
King moved to DC after she worked as an offensive assistant coach for Dartmouth College in 2019. She interned with the Carolina Panthers during the 2018-2019 off-season. King also served on the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football in 2019.