Football, which has been limited to males, has now recently followed the wave of other professional sports that have opened the doors for women to impact the league. In recent news, the New York Jets have hired the first female NFL Coach in not only Jets franchise history, but fifth in NFL History. Behind Maral Javadifar & Lori Locust of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaching staff, Katie Sowers of the San Francisco 49ers franchise, and Jen Walters of the Arizona Cardinals, there is a new HBCU (Historically Black College/ University) grad that has just made NFL History. Tuskegee scholar and trendsetter, Collette V. Smith, will join the New York Jets as the team’s first female coach. Smith, who is a former player, coach and executive staff member of the women’s professional football league team New York Sharks, has changed the face of football. Smith has taken her talents beyond football by building a brand that has encouraged young women and girls to believe in themselves and never give up on their dreams. She has become an advocate for living in self-truth. With the help of her prior experience in the field of football and her impactful work with her corporation entitled Believe N You, Inc., she is more than prepared to mentor minds on the football field.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Howard chapter.