Autumn Lockwood will make history as the first Black woman to coach in the Super Bowl.
According to CBS News, the Philadelphia Eagles’ assistant sports performance coach will take the field with the Birds as they attempt to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
Lockwood is a graduate of the University of Arizona and a former soccer player. After snagging a degree from UA, she was employed as a sports information director and Olympic strength and conditioning intern at her former school.
Autumn then leaped to the University of Houston, working at the institute in 2021/2022 as a sports performance coordinator. The athletics-focused coach then worked at East Tennessee State and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas as a strength & conditioning assistant. After a stint with the Atlanta Falcons, the daughter of a UNLV cornerback coach then found her way to the NFC East’s Philadelphia Eagles in August of 2022.
Lockwood will compete in one of the biggest games of her life on Sunday (Feb. 12) as the NFC champs face off against the AFC’s best team for a chance to take home the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The exhibition will be held in Glendale, AZ’s State Farm Stadium at 6:30 PM EST, and features the first big game with two starting Black quarterbacks, Philly’s Jalen Hurts and the KC’s Patrick Mahomes.
Rihanna will make her true return to music as Apple Music’s Halftime Show headliner, with a bevy of special guests rumored to join her. Abbott Elementary’s Sheryl Lee Ralph will deliver the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” for this year’s big game, while Babyface will sing “America the Beautiful.”