HANOVER — Jennifer King will soon be named a full-time assistant coach with the Washington Football Team, making her the first Black woman to hold the position in NFL history.
According to multiple reports, the former Dartmouth College offensive assistant has not yet signed a contract, but the deal is expected to be completed in the coming days.
She spent the 2019 season in Hanover primarily working with wide receivers and creating defensive scouting reports. The Big Green finished the season 9-1 while capturing a share of the Ivy League crown. The team averaged 33.3 points and 382.4 yards per game.
King joined Washington’s staff in February as a full-time intern in the running backs room. Working with running backs coach Randy Jordan, Washington racked up more than 1,600 yards on the ground and won the NFC East, eventually falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild card round of the playoffs.
Much of WFT’s success on the ground came from 2020 third-round pick Antonio Gibson, who finished the season with 11 rushing touchdowns was on track to set the franchise record for rushing TDs before a turf-toe injury ended his season.
A former college basketball coach, King was a part-time intern on coach Ron Rivera’s coaching staff with the Carolina Panthers in the 2018 and 2019 offseason. She rejoined the coach in Washington this season.
Her promotion would make her the fourth woman to be a full-time assistant in the league, joining Tampa Bay’s Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar, along with Cleveland’s Callie Brownson.
Brownson, now the chief of staff for Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, was an offensive quality control coach for the Big Green in 2018, the season before King joined the staff.
King was part of the first NFL game to feature three women on the field on Sept. 27, 2020, when Brownson and King were joined by NFL Official Sarah Thomas.