Women to Watch Media® with Sue Rocco

Dr. Jen Welter is the first female to coach in the NFL. In summer 2015, she served as a linebackers’ coach for the Arizona Cardinals. She appears regularly as an NFL and sports analyst on NBC, ESPN, and the NFL Network and in national newspapers and other publications.

Welter has become a regular empowerment and sports speaker, asked to stump for Hillary Clinton on the election trail in 2016, and sharing the stage at events with sports and political giants like Serena Williams and Condoleeza Rice at events across the country. ESPNW just named her one of the 25 most influential women in sport in 2015.

Welter holds a doctorate degree in Psychology, a Master’s in Sport Psychology, and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. She has 18 years of experience in fitness and as a professional athlete. Welter is a native of Vero Beach, Florida.

Listen to our full interview with Dr. Jen Welter below or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Radio.com or iHeartRadio!

Dr. Jen Welter, the first female to coach in the NFL, I shared the story behind her title with us on August 18, 2017.

In the summer of 2015, Dr. Welter served as a linebackers coach for the Arizona Cardinals, a period of time defined by the bond she has formed with the players. Widely known as a trailblazer and pioneer in professional football, becoming the first woman to coach in the NFL was only her most recent first. She most recently served as a defensive specialist for the Alliance of American Football (AAF).

​Following her record-breaking accomplishment with the Cardinals, Welter became the head coach of the first Australian women’s national team in 2017. Widely known as a trailblazer and pioneer in professional football, Welter became the first woman to play running back in a men's professional football league with the Texas Revolution. In early 2015, Welter was hired as the first female coach in men’s professional football, helping coach the most successful Revolution season in franchise history

​Welter is committed to increasing access and opportunities in football. To empower women through football, Welter designed her signature program, “A Day in the Life,” Camp which debuted with the Washington Redskins women's program in 2015. She continues to create a range of camps for girls and women through her GRRRidiron Flag Football Camp, along with a number of other community initiatives like her Camp on the Corner program that brings football to youth in under-served areas. She released her first publication, “Play Big: Lessons in Being Limitless from the First Woman to Coach in the NFL” in 2017.