She calls herself just an "every day person," one who simply "chased her dreams."
Katie
Sowers, with her crystal clear Midwestern diction, appears grounded and calm, not one you would pick out of a crowd. But clearly, the dreams that she's
pursued and achieved make her far from ordinary.
The
native of Hesston, Kan. is the offensive assistant coach for the San
Francisco 49ers, making her the second female ever to coach in the NFL, and the first to the Super Bowl. She made it with the Atlanta in 2017 when the Falcons lost 34-28 to the New England Patriots in Houston, and after San Francisco beat Green Bay 37-20 on Sunday, she'll be in Miami Feb. 2 for Super Bowl LIV as the 49ers face Kansas City.
Last spring, Sowers
shared with Nikki B. her remarkable journey to America's most popular
sporting league in this riveting 26th episode of 'Play Like a Girl."
The
daughter of a college basketball coach and twin of a Division I college basketball player, Sowers was a standout multi-sport athlete
both in high school and college. "Sports always consumed my life," she
said. At the end of her college career, she pursued her first love to
play football, and earned the starting quarterback spot with the Kansas
City Titans of the Women's Football Alliance. She also played on the USA
Women's National Team.
During that time, coaching flashed on
her radar, and when Becky Hammon earned a spot on the San Antonio Spurs'
coaching staff in the NBA, Sowers wrote a simple but clear message on
her Instagram page:
"NFL, I'm coming for you."
Once it
was visible to her, Sowers went after it. She needed a break though. A
big one. It happened only because she followed a simple passion to coach
middle school basketball. But there was a mix-up.
San Francisco 49ers offensive assistant Katie Sowers is just the second female to by hired by the NFL as a coach.
Courtesy of San Francisco 49ers
Listen to how that one clerical error led her to a meeting with perhaps the most important person
and mentor in her life. And a job with the Atlanta Falcons.
Sowers makes it clear that she had and has no intentions of being a novelty act. She knew she had to work harder than other coaches because of her gender, and frankly, because she learned the game so late. Her goal was to be irreplaceable.
"I wasn't coming in to just ride the wave," she said. "I'm going in to make a wave."
All of it resonated loudly to Nikki B. during this 26th MaxPreps podcast of "Play like a Girl."
The
upbeat former collegiate athlete from Northern California is is building
confidence in females who play high school sports by offering vital life
skills in order to enhance their athletic careers, and
overall lives. Her guests are uplifting and in many cases,
inspirational. Like Sowers.
In her weekly podcasts, Nikki B. brings in
expert guests to discuss a plethora of topics, ranging from and dealing
with teammate drama to peer pressure to social media to relationships
to inappropriate coaches.
A
winner on the Golf Channel's "Shotmakers," Nikki B. is a former captain of the
Sacramento State golf team. She is a leader in the fields of blogging, social media, marketing, networking and branding.
Katie Sowers said once the San Antonio Spurs hired Becky Hammon in the NBA, she wrote on her Instagram: "NFL, I'm coming for you."
Courtesy of San Francisco 49ers
