The Buffalo Bills announced this week they will be hiring Kathryn Smith as their full-time special teams quality control coach. Smith previously worked for the NY Jets for 12 years prior to working for the Bills. Smith worked under Bills head coach Rex Ryan in an administrative role prior to accepting the position.
Initially ProFootballTalk reported the hire followed by the Bills announcing their official statement via press release.
Rex admitted in the Bills press release to consulting with Arizona Cardinals Coach Bruce Arians(Bruce hired a female linebacker coach during training camp) prior to promoting Smith. Rex also described the Bills excitement in the hiring stating, “You can see the success some of these young ladies are having in the coaching profession, such as the young lady (Becky Hammon) that is an assistant to Coach Popovich at the San Antonio Spurs, and realize how exciting this is for women like Kathryn Smith as well as the Bills organization.”
Female coaches in men’s professional sports have been lacking, however news like this is encouraging. The pending success of a female coach like Smith will hopefully encourage more women to get interviewed for coaching positions throughout the NFL and at the collegiate level.
