National Football League

Bears add Jennifer King as their first-ever female assistant coach

Updated Feb. 21, 2024 5:40 p.m. ET

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The Chicago Bears have hired Jennifer King as their first female coach in franchise history, working as an offensive assistant with running backs.

Coach Matt Eberflus filled out his staff Wednesday by announcing the final six members.

Chris Beatty will coach wide receivers with Chad Morton in charge of running backs. Thomas Brown will be the offensive passing game coordinator, Jason Houghtaling the assistant offensive line coach and Robbie Picazo an offensive assistant working with quarterbacks and receivers.

King, 39, has climbed the coaching ranks over the past handful of seasons, breaking barriers along the way. She most recently served as the Washington Commanders' assistant running backs coach, becoming the first Black woman to be a full-time coach in NFL history. 

She played 12 seasons as a seven-time All-American quarterback and wide receiver for the Carolina Phoenix women’s tackle football team from 2006-17.

King also has a unique background outside of football. After playing basketball and softball in college at Guilford, King became a women's college basketball coach, working as an assistant at Greensboro College for 10 years before becoming the head coach of Johnson & Wales in North Carolina in 2016. She led the program to the USCAA Division II national title in her second season, her final year as a women's college basketball coach. She has also worked as a flight attendant and as a police officer.

Entering the 2023 season, nine women served as full-time coaches in the NFL. 

Brown has 13 years of experience, including the past four in the NFL. He was offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers in 2023 after working the three previous seasons with the Rams.

Beatty is a former CFL player who was wide receivers coach for the Los Angeles Chargers the past three seasons. He also has 15 seasons of coaching experience in college.

A seven-year NFL veteran, Morton spent the previous 10 seasons in various roles for the Seattle Seahawks. He has coached 15 seasons in the NFL. Picazo has coached 11 years, the past two with Seattle and Houston.

Houghtaling spent the past three seasons with the Tennessee Titans, the final as offensive line coach.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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