There were four years of arena football and mentoring and coaching showcase teams. She shared in an Instagram post that when her mother was growing up, women weren't allowed to go to sporting events, so becoming one of the first female coaches to win a Super Bowl was a way to say thank you to her mother. If teams cannot find success on the ground, Tampa Bays ferocious pass rush can get to work. his pretrial. I think thats an important message that the league is putting out there. And clearly that combination has worked.. Patrick Mahomes to Star in Netflix Docuseries "Quarterback", Try This Total-Body Workout Inspired by Rihanna's Halftime-Show Choreo, All the Tea Behind Martha Stewart's Snoop Dogg Tattoo, The Trouble With Speculating About Celeb Pregnancies, first women assistant coaches to win a Super Bowl, first woman referee to officiate a Super Bowl, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Javadifar has a doctorate in physical therapy and was hired as an assistant strength and conditioning coach/physical therapist. Locust was hired as the assistant defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2019, making her the first female position coach in the NFL and the third Locust reportedly entered the sport when she started playing in a womens league around the age of 40. By HITC Sport. A former Temple student who grew up a Steelers fan in Harrisburg, Locust is one of just a handful of women working on NFL staffs. Her and Maral Javadifar also. Thats not me. This didnt just happen, she said. Lori Locust is the assistant defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Head Coach Bruce Arians brought with him the most diverse staff ever seen by the league in more ways than one. six years to life judgment during pic.twitter.com/kgUlMLuBeA. To keep creating He was doing a favor for Birmingham general manager Joe Pendry, who had hired the former Temple coach as a Kansas City Chiefs assistant in 1989. History was made tonight! Four years later, she became an assistant with the Central Penn Piranha, a mens semipro team. WebTitans hire Lori Locust as 1st full-time female coach. Locust is one of eight women who held an NFL coaching position this past season, either on the football-specific side or in athletic training and conditioning. Locust finds the story of how she and King reconnected to be a microcosm of how she is as a person and a coach. She interned with the Baltimore Ravens, and worked as the assistant defensive line coach for the Birmingham Iron of the AAF (Alliance of American Football). Maral Javadifar and Lori Locust Are First Women Coaches to Win a Super Bowl, The Inspiring Way Top Surfers Are Honoring Women Athletes For International Women's Day. having signed Titans beat writer Paul Kuharsky gave us more specifics, reporting that Locust would work with coach Ryan Crow and the outside linebackers. WebUSA TODAY - Luke Easterling 2d. Locust had been the Bucs' assistant defensive line coach since 2019 and was with the team for the Super Bowl 55 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The more she coached, the more she enjoyed it and the more she was noticed. They tower over me, and every once in a while I realize just how much bigger they are, she said. The Tennessee Titans are reportedly making history by adding former Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust to their defensive coaching staff.The news comes from NFL Networks Ian Rapoport, who notes that Locust will be taking a defensive assistant role on head coach Mike . Please check your email for a confirmation. She was an offensive assistant for the San Francisco 49ers in their loss to the Chiefs. Six years ago, Lori Locust attended the NFL Womens Forum hoping to break into an industry she was passionate about. You can learn more about Girls Nite In Online at gnionline.com. The ones we have are overly qualified.". That made her one of the staff right away. By that point, her ambition was clear, and in 2017 she took a job guiding the defensive linemen, linebackers and special teams with the now-defunct Lehigh Valley Steelhawks of the National Arena League. It's something Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar can attest to, both helping to blaze a trail that bursts through the gender wall usually present on NFL coaching staffs. Coach Locust said in an Instagram post, "I'm a coach who happens to be a woman, not a woman who happens to coach." Thatll be the mark of true progress: when such moments arent highlighted as the first or special but merely the standard. Both years, she applied for a Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship. Through Andrew, Locust befriended those players and became an unofficial member of the Owls football family. Gilbert Athay Congratulations to @CoachLoLoc and Coach @Maraljavadifar, the first women coaches to ever win a Super Bowl. She puts the work in, she puts the time in. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. "I do look forward to the day that it's no longer newsworthy to be a woman working in the pros, or making the Super Bowl for that matter," Javadifar said Monday, per the Associated Press (h/t Hartford Courant). ), Some people sometimes feel like theres some magic wand somewhere and like, poof, all of a sudden, like, theres qualified women, Locust said. and his wife Janet (R) read And though Locust didn't play football at the time, she was there, also attending Temple. WebAssistant defensive line coach Lori Locust spoke to the media on Monday in advance of Super Bowl LV between the Chiefs and the Buccaneers. Now, zero. Locust is proud that in her second season with the Bucs and head coach Bruce Arians, they can brag about their back-to-back seasons as the top rushing defense, including finishing tied with Arizona for the fourth-most sacks this season. Please considersupporting our work. February 5, 2023 10:29 am ET. "From day one," said defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers, who Locust assists on a daily basis in her role. Lori Hacking June 6, 2005 in Salt Lori Locust's senior football journey started at Central PA Vipers, a women's football team. When she was sidelined by a knee injury, she turned to coaching her team, and later joined several other teams as an assistant, including the varsity team at her alma mater. pretrial hearing in Salt Lake City, Utah. Javadifar, age 30, became the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Buccaneers in 2020, so this was also her second season. All rights reserved (About Us). She is by most reckonings the NFLs third full-time female assistant. Locust joined Mike Vrabel's staff last month as an assistant defensive coach, the first full-time woman coach in franchise history And shes not afraid. Coaching football wasnt an option for a woman in the 1980s. The 30-year-old Javadifar is an assistant strength and conditioning coach, and the 56-year-old Locust is an assistant defensive line coach. They joined Katie Sowers, who spent four years with the 49ers coaching staff as an offensive assistant and became the first woman and openly gay coach to work in the Super Bowl, as female coaches whove been to the NFLs postseason. See what players and fans are saying on social media following the Super Bowl win. It doesnt necessarily have to be coaching. I might look like an overnight success from the back end, but this has been a long time coming.. It was time for that door to be knocked down and allow them because they've been putting in time, and they're very, very qualified. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. Locust and Arians talked a few more times and, after checking out Arians with her former Temple friends, she accepted the position. "It's a give and take and it's all love but she is a welcomed addition and the thing is for me, being the first time having a female assistant, I was like how is this going to be? But I want them to be qualified and experienced. Javadifar said that the Bucs are doing a great job offering women and other people the opportunity to show what they can do: Female #Bucs assistant strength and conditioning coach Maral Javadifar on the opportunity to coach in #NFL: These opportunities are available in the right organizations. #gobucs pic.twitter.com/UPw8WuX2Jx, Both Locust and Javadifar prefer to be recognized just as coaches instead of female coaches, but are also aware of their important role in setting a path for future women in coaching and sports. It's because of her unique and incredibly qualified background. Sowers, the 49ers aide, contacted Locust and told her she needed to reach out to Tampa Bay. Shes not afraid at all.. Denise Lindberg (R) for Hacking's In fact, the Bucs top four highest-ranking assistants are all Black: offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong and assistant head coach/run game coordinator Harold Goodwin. According to PennLive, Locusts ex-husband played under Arians and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. first lady Jill Biden tweeted. He said, `This is incredible. Hacking last year, June 6, 2005 in Salt Lake City, Utah. TAMPA, Fla. -- Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar, Super Bowl champs. son, Mark Hacking was given a six years to life sentence I think its huge, (and) I think its the wave of the future.. 14 hours ago, by Samantha Brodsky She played basketball at Pace University and earned a doctorate in physical therapy. Its because we worked for years to get to a point where we could be considered for opportunities and we could do the same type of position coaching, or we could do the same type of traditional role, as our male counterparts. Additionally, Locust originally got her start in the NFL as an intern for the Baltimore Ravens in 2018. Frank is a columnist and general assignment reporter focusing on sports enterprise, projects and features. Other women in the Buccaneers organization include scouting assistant Carly Helfand and director of football research Jackie Davidson. While Locust and Javadifar were making history Sunday, they weren't the only ones. History was made tonight! To their many fans in the sports world and beyond, that's got a real nice ring to it. Last season, Katie Sowers became the first female to coach in a Super Bowl. Lori Locust (born April 27, 1964) is the defensive line coach for the Birmingham Iron. "It was a newer entity that they were looking for. Though, she doesn't want to be known by that 'woman' qualifier. Thats why Ive got Lori telling her story this year, Ross said. coached in this seasons wild-card weekend, Sarah Thomas became the first woman to ever officiate in the Super Bowl, only NFL team with an all-Black group of coordinators under Arians. Locust and his pretrial 20 hours ago, by Victoria Messina Locust is a graduate of Susquehanna Township High School in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. years to life for the murder of California residents do not sell my data request. Web Provided by WHTM Harrisburg Buccaneers fire assistant DL coach Lori Locust, Susquehanna Twp. In addition to both Javadifar and Locust, Sarah Thomas will also become the first female to be on a Super Bowl officiating crew. I was just talking with Joe Pendry about you. He said hed be in touch. We need your support. during Mark Hacking's Like all rookie coaches, the 55-year-old assistant defensive line coach -- the Buccaneers first full-time female position coach -- is just beginning to navigate this universe of large, talented, and wealthy players. You cant get caught up in who they are and what theyve done, Locust said a recent interview. to life for Javadifar said, "Work hard, reach your goals, prepare to be the best version of yourself, with whatever means that it takes.". Period. Sign up for our newsletter and get every update delivered to your inbox! a statement to the press after their She did so again in 2018. Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar made history Sunday night. Locust coached in the Alliance of American Football and was an intern for the, "I do look forward to the day that it's no longer newsworthy to be a woman working in the pros, or making the Super Bowl for that matter," Javadifar said Monday, per the, . Lori lived a It wasnt until she turned 40 that Lori Locust decided to go for her dream. Bucs hammer Chiefs in Super Bowl LV behind Brady, defense, Brady named Super Bowl MVP for record fifth time, Super Bowl betting: Bucs made plenty of people happy. She barked at Suh. She was one of the best receivers coaches Id ever seen, he said. grad spent four seasons in Tampa She was the only female defensive A Super Bowl champion with the Bucs following the 2020 season, Locust experienced the highs and lows of NFL coaching business while recognizing and leaning on the value of relationships in the industry to help her land another coaching opportunity. She also knows how to trash talk when it's needed because what good coach doesn't? Quality local journalism has never been more important. Hacking was sentenced to six years to life Long before Arians took over as the Bucs' head coach, his first head coaching job was at Temple in Philadelphia, Penn. The Titans have not announced the move. Locust emailed Arians, reminding him that 36 years before they had met at Temple. The Buccaneers remain the only team in the NFL with multiple women on their coaching staff. #SuperBowl https://t.co/eh2XCjBWxq. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. We don't see her as a woman, we only see her as Coach Lo and she steps in and performs her role admirably.". With much attention on Tom Brady, Arians and the many notable players on the Buccaneers roster, some made sure to congratulate Locust and Javadifar for breaking through one more glass ceiling: Congratulations to @CoachLoLoc and Coach @Maraljavadifar, the first women coaches to ever win a Super Bowl. the media after Mark Just like last year, the Bucs will have a lot of work to do on their 2021 roster before and after free agency begins but Head Coach Bruce Arians believes the team can keep a 'special' group together because the sky is the limit for them, Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes and won his fourth Super Bowl MVP award as his Buccaneers throttled Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, 31-9, to become the first team ever to win a Super Bowl on its home turf, QB Tom Brady won his fifth Super Bowl MVP award on Sunday night, and deservedly so, but he says the Bucs' overwhelming 31-9 victory over the Chiefs was the result of an 'amazing group of guys' coming together when it mattered, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS. WebUSA TODAY - Mike Moraitis 22d. She then received her doctor of physical therapy degree from New York Medical College. Looking for an NFL gig, Locust found her way in thanks to an email and some connections. She knows exactly what she wants out of her players. Once in Tampa, she found that the Ravens internship had prepared her well.