The Buffalo Bills made history Wednesday by hiring Kathryn Smith as their special teams quality control coach. This makes Smith the NFL’s first female full-time coach. This hiring came after the Arizona Cardinals made news when they hired Jen Walter as their inside line backers coach for a training camp only position last summer.
BREAKING: Kathryn Smith is the Bills new special teams quality control coach, the first full-time female NFL coach! pic.twitter.com/r2MkWX4pR3
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) January 21, 2016
Smith is no stranger to Rex Ryan or the NFL. She joined the Jets organization in 2003 as a game day & special events intern. In 2005, she was named a college scouting intern and then a player personnel assistant in 2007. She spent this past season with the Bills organization as the Administrative Assistant to the Head Coach, who again happened to be Rex Ryan.
Coach Ryan was a big endorser of Smith’s. “Kathryn has been working in a football administrative role and assisted the assistant coaches for years.” Ryan said in a statement. “She has proven that she’s ready for the next step, so I’m excited and proud for her with this opportunity. She will work with [special teams coordinator] Danny Crossman and [special teams assistant] Eric Smith involving a number of responsibilities.”
Rex Ryan: ‘Kathryn Smith has done an outstanding job in the seven years that she has worked with our staff.’
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 21, 2016
Smith will be replacing Michael Hamlin, who was released from his position earlier in the month. This is not the first time that the Bills have been a part of breaking the gender barrier in the NFL. In 1986, the team hired Linda Bogdan who at the time became the league’s first female scout when she joined the player personnel department.
Before making the decision to hire Smith, Rex spoke with Cardinals coach Bruce Arians since he was the first to hire a female coach.
“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 (Greg) Popovich at the San Antonio Spurs, and realize how exciting this is for women like Kathryn Smith as well as the Bills organization.” Ryan spoke highly of Kathryn and what she could do going forward.
Smith has climbed the ladder in her almost 13 years in the NFL. And she has the potential to make even more history as she continues.
