Since 1967, when the first Super Bowl took place, the idea of a woman involved in professional football, at any level, seemed impossible. The hardest part of the industry to break into would be the leadership aspect, coaching. Nevertheless, Katie Sowers broke through to be the first openly gay and first female coach in Super Bowl history as the offensive assistant for the San Francisco 49ers.

She got to the Super Bowl after loving football since childhood, but had her sexuality get in the way of respect many times. “I actually got turned down from a volunteer coaching job because I was a lesbian,” Sowers told OutSports in 2017. “I was told ‘because of your lifestyle, we ask that you do not come around the team.'” That didn’t stop her involvement in sports; she led the U.S. national team to a gold medal at the Women’s World Championships in 2013, and later went on to coach her team for this year’s 2020 Super Bowl.

Sowers was finally given a proper chance when in 2016 she began as a coach for the Atlanta Falcons training camp, she then began work with the 49ers in 2017. She became the first LGBT coach in the NFL when she publicly came out before the 2017 NFL season.