Numerous Black women are climbing the ladder of the NFL and significantly impacting American football in recent years. These boss ladies have added their Black girl magic to America’s favorite game. Who are they? Here are five Black women in the NFL you should know.
Sandra Douglass Morgan, President of Las Vegas Raiders
Sandra Douglass Morgan’s illustrious career includes: in-house counsel and litigation attorney at law firms big and small, city attorney for North Las Vegas, director of external affairs for AT&T, and member of the Nevada Gaming Commission, to name a few. As of July, she added president of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders to her resume, making Morgan the first Black woman in NFL history to serve as president of a team. She is accustomed to breaking barriers as she was also the first Black city attorney of Nevada.
Maia Chaka, NFL referee
Maia Chaka is the first Black woman to be a National Football League on-field referee. Prior to her historic debut in the NFL, Chaka worked as a health and physical education teacher in Virginia Beach. She began working with the NFL back in 2014 when she participated in the NFL’s officiating development program. Simultaneously, she was also officiating at the college level.
Mellody Hobson, The First Black Female owner in NFL history
Mellody Hobson has a remarkable resume! Hobson is the co-CEO and President of Ariel Investments, Vice Chair of Starbucks, and Director at JPMorgan Chase. As of 2022, she is also a part owner of the Denver Broncos as she is a part of the group led by Walmart heir Rob Walton that made a deal to purchase the Denver Broncos for $4.65 billion, the highest amount ever paid for an American sports franchise. While other Black women, like Venus and Serena Williams, have held limited stakes in NFL franchises, Hobson is the first to be part of an original ownership group purchasing a team.
Jennifer King, the assistant running backs coach for the Washington Commanders
A pioneer for women in football, Jennifer King is the first full-season Black female coach in the NFL. Her specialty as a coach is working with running backs, but before her work as a coach, her early years were full of sports as she spent her college years playing basketball and softball. She also had a 14-year-career in football. Before making the move to a career in football, she was a collegiate assistant basketball coach who went to four NCAA tournaments. She was a head coach for two years, and during that time, she won a championship and USCAA Division II National Coach of the Year.
Nicole Lynn, the 1st black woman in history to rep a player in the Super Bowl
In 2023, with the support of an all-female management team, Jalen Hurts became the youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl in Philadelphia Eagles history. At the helm of his team was his agent, Nicole Lynn of Klutch Sports. What started as a DM on Instagram evolved into a professional relationship that would land Nicole in the history books as the first black woman in history to rep a player in the Super Bowl. In a field where less than 2% of agents are Black women, Lynn has made a name for herself as an agent to watch.