Jen Welter breaks into pro football boy's club, again
Football veteran Jen Welter is breaking new ground in the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals added Welter to the coaching staff for their upcoming training camp. She's believed to be the first woman ever hired as an NFL coach, reports CBS News correspondent Elaine Quijano.
Welter holds a master's degree in sports psychology and a doctorate in psychology, but for the Cardinals, it's her knowledge of the game of football that makes her qualified to coach.
Welter's football resume is impressive. The 37-year-old played professionally for 14 years, mostly for a women's team based in Dallas. Her career included a stint with the Texas Revolution Indoor League where she was the first ever to play toe-to-toe with the men. She then joined that team as an assistant coach.
"She's got a doctorate, she's got 14 years of playing experience doing professional football and since she played the game, she clearly knows the game," azcardinals.com senior writer Darren Urban said.
She'll soon take the field for the Cardinals with their coaching staff as a training camp intern, teaching some of the hardest-hitting players in the league -- the linebackers.
"Even though it's a boy's club, they're not gonna care if it's a woman or a man as long as that person is getting them better," Urban said.
Although progress is slow, women are making a dent in the hyper-competitive world of men's major professional sports.
Last August, Becky Hammon became the first full-time female assistant coach in NBA history.
And this past spring, the NFL announced Sarah Thomas will become the league's first full-time female official.
"Somebody's got to be first, somebody's got to at least crack the door open a little bit and even though this is just an internship," Urban said. "Hopefully down the road, more doors will be open."
Welter's job isn't a long-term commitment from the Cardinals. She will be part of the staff for only training camp and the preseason, but it has the potential to turn into further opportunities.