Super Bowl LVII pits the Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Thanks to Philadelphia Eagles assistant coach Autumn Lockwood, Super Bowl LVII (57) will be like ladies’ night.
Sunday’s Super Bowl will present several groundbreaking firsts.
The battle between Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts will become the first time two starting Black quarterbacks have faced each other for the Lombardi Trophy.
Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and his big brother Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles will become the first brothers to compete against each other in the showdown between the ACF and NFC champions.
Additionally, whichever Kelce wins the big game will secure bragging rights against the other because they both currently have one Super Bowl ring.
However, Lockwood’s accomplishment of becoming the first Black woman to coach in a Super Bowl definitely places her in the history books in perpetuity.
Lockwood serves as an assistant sports performance coach for the team from the “City of Brotherly Love.”
The Sporting News reported, “Lockwood announced in August that she was joining the Eagles as an assistant sports performance coach. Despite being a new addition to Philadelphia, she has a wealth of experience as a strength coach.
“Lockwood previously spent a year and a half as the University of Houston’s coordinator of sports performance, and she was a strength and conditioning intern for the Atlanta Falcons in 2019.
“In addition to Houston and the Falcons, Lockwood has served in various strength and conditioning roles at the University of Arizona, UNLV, and East Tennessee State.”
Super Bowl LVII will mark the fourth time a woman has coached in the penultimate game.
Katie Sowers served as an offensive assistant for the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV (54).
And one year later in Super Bowl LV (55), Lori Locust served as an assistant defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Maral Javadifar worked for the Bucs as the assistant strength coach.
Maybe unsurprisingly, Lockwood has a background in competitive sports.
Lockwood played soccer and graduated from University of Arizona in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
Via social media, University of Arizona expressed their excitement for their groundbreaking alum.
The Arizona athletic department posted, “@ArizonaSoccer letter winner Autumn Lockwood, a Sports Performance Coach with the Eagles, will become the first Black woman to ever coach in the Super Bowl.”
Rashad Grove of BillyPenn.com reported, “Lockwood is currently one of four women who are full-time assistant coaches in the NFL. The others are Callie Bronson, chief of staff of the Cleveland Browns; Jennifer King, assistant running backs coach of the Washington Commanders, and Sophia Lewin, offensive assistant coach for the Buffalo Bills.”
Her background as a competitive athlete possibly helps her relate to players in an all-male sport.
About her players, Lockwood said, “Seeing their transformations, being a part of their stories, having an impact on them…Having athletes develop into their own greatness and being a part of that—you can’t ask for anything better than that.”
The history-making coach is the Eagles’ designated Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS).
She is also a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Lockwood’s love for the gridiron possibly comes from her father, coach David Lockwood, who is the former cornerbacks coach for the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels.
Her father said, “From day one she [came] home from the hospital, after about a week or so, she was at the football games.”
While interning at UNLV, the father-duo got a chance to work together too.
Grove reported, “Her father…is the safeties coach at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Previously, he was a Big Ten defensive coordinator at University of Minnesota and has held defensive coach positions at the University of Arizona…Kentucky, and his alma mater West Virginia University.”
David Lockwood started for three years at cornerback for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
He played in three bowl games, including in the national championship Fiesta Bowl game in 1988.
Therefore, playing for the top prize in a sport is nothing new for the father-daughter coaching duo.
And seeing that the Chiefs-Eagles showdown will go down close to her alma mater, her groundbreaking accomplishment will serve as sort of a homecoming for the former Arizona Wildcat.
The Super Bowl will take place in Glendale, Ariz. on Sunday, Feb. 12.
