first lady Jill Biden tweeted. If teams cannot find success on the ground, Tampa Bays ferocious pass rush can get to work. murder in the death of Thats why I think it works so well here, is hes gathered individuals that he knows will benefit the organization. Once injuries started building up, she began coaching her former teammates, then took a job at her alma mater Susquehanna Township High as an unpaid assistant for nine years. 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. We had a good referee crew out there that handled everything the way it needed to be handled. According to PennLive, Locusts ex-husband played under Arians and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. I dont want them to wake up on Thursday, decide theyre going to be a football coach and expect it to happen by Tuesday. A global audience of more than 56 million watched the Kansas City Chiefs record a 38-35 victory over Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, a 7% increase over 2022 as international interest in the NFL continues to rise. While Locust and Javadifar were making history Sunday, they weren't the only ones. 6, 2005 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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. He recalled how his eyes were opened 25 years ago by Dot Murphy, a longtime coach at Hinds Community College in Mississippi. And in that instant, Lori Locust, a Philadelphia-born football fanatic who is in her early days as one of the NFLs first full-time female assistant coaches, did what any of her colleagues might have done. 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. Fitting, given the home team that is playing. The pair also weren't the only women to make history in Sunday's game, as referee Sarah Thomas became the first female official at the Super Bowl. "The moment Coach Lo got here she has been one of us from the first meeting, from my first introduction to her, to our first meeting together, to our first meeting with the players, she has stepped in from day one. She volunteered and was around and didnt get paid a dime at one point. during his sentencing June 6, The other reason? Nick Gray, Nashville Tennessean. But they met up again at the inaugural NFL Womens Careers in Football Forum in Orlando in 2017, an invite-only event with just 15 women. There's no better example of that than how well Locust was able to assimilate into this staff. Then we should be able to get an opportunity just like anybody else.. father of murdered, SALT LAKE CITY - JUNE 6: Trying to hold back tears, Doug Hacking (L) Fast forward to now and that's probably one of the reasons she was able to fit right in. Six years ago, Lori Locust attended the NFL Womens Forum hoping to break into an industry she was passionate about. 2005 after "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? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach would do the same thing when driving to Old Dominion for spring football: go down for the day, take in all she could from her day at the field, find a parking lot to sleep in, then return home the next day. Hacking last year, June 6, 2005 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images). Instead, she emphasized that the important thing was the path and the work it took to get to that point. Who Is Lori Locust? Updated: Feb 22, 2022 / 05:15 PM EST When Lori Locust was hired by the Bucs, she was one of just a couple women in the NFL. But she wasnt out of work for long, joining Titans head coach Mike Vrabels staff on Feb. 4. NEW! I think thats the message that were trying to get out there because shes handled herself professionally the way you need to handle yourself to set the example. Buy Titans Tickets. According to her Twitter bio, Locust will work as a defensive quality control coach. Locust joined Mike Vrabel's staff last month as an assistant defensive coach, the first full-time woman coach in franchise history I just want her to encourage them to be that same person.. She And I wouldnt have it any other way.. Both she and Ross hope the free Ross/Redman Football Camp 6-8 p.m. daily through Friday at Paulsboro High School will attract girls hoping to find a career in the sport. Locust happily accepted. sentencing June 6, 2005 in Salt Lake City, "I really value credibility. Before this season, the female coach to get closest to a title was former San Francisco 49ers offensive assistant Katie Sowers, who became the first woman to coach in a Super Bowl last year. Years later, they were on opposite sidelines. https://www.bhamwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Lori_Locust&oldid=154122, Bean, Josh (February 4, 2019) "Im a coach who happens to be a woman: Meet Irons gender-bending assistant coach.". But it was no token hire when Bruce Arians asked her in March to join the Buccaneers. I thought about it as the game was happening that nobody made an issue of it.. Now, as the Bucs get set to take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday for the Lombardi Trophy, they'll become the first team in NFL history with multiple female coaches on their sideline in a Super Bowl. #Titans first female coach will work with Ryan Crow and OLBs. 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. Mark Hacking (R) Oh, by the way, they all happened to be African American. The Buccaneers remain the only team in the NFL with multiple women on their coaching staff. City, Utah. July, 2004. You'll now receive the top Titans Wire stories each day directly in your inbox. They made it clear there that I was just another coach, and everyone accepted that.. You can learn more about Girls Nite In Online at gnionline.com. He has people he can trust around him and it doesnt matter what we look like; hes put together that staff because its people that he feels will help the team win. Former #Bucs assistant DL coach Lori Locust has landed in a new spot. A native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Locust graduated from Susquehanna Township High School, where she worked as an assistant coach from 2010-2018. Locust, who sat in the coaches box and helped defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, known for his exotic blitzes, got a birds-eye view of what she thought the Bucs could capitalize upon. SALT LAKE CITY - JUNE 6: Mark Hacking (L) and his defense attorney, Suh, a nine-year veteran, might have sneered at this first-year coachs lack of NFL experience, her audacity. 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. That accomplishment earned Thomas a shout-out from First Lady Jill Biden: Im cheering you on today, Sarah Thomas! Last season, Katie Sowers became the first female to coach in a Super Bowl. need your help for this. Please check your email for a confirmation. In her first season in Washington, King has worked with future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson, as well as rookie Antonio Gibson, whose 11 touchdowns are three shy of the franchise record for a rookie, and J.D. Hacking was given six years of Lori She then received her doctor of physical therapy degree from New York Medical College. This didnt just happen, she said. It was a curious choice and not just because she was a girl. Locust is the first woman the Titans have hired for a full-time, on-field role, but the Titans do have a female full-time scouting assistant in Mical Johnson. But for now, shes content to work with the Bucs defensive line for as long as they need her. Diversity wins. Philly-born Temple product Lori Locust makes history as a But, not long after, Samantha Rapoport, the NFLs director of football development and its point person for efforts to bring more women into the game, called and asked if Locust would be interested in coaching Birmingham in the new Alliance of American Football (AAF). before Judge wife Lori in July 2004. Locust traveled to Canada, outside of Philadelphia and along the East Coast. She puts the work in, she puts the time in. Shes done a great job really, really proud of her, Arians said this week. Hacking's parents, We have many Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive line assistant Lori Locust is joining the Tennessee Titans, she announced on Twitter on Saturday. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Tori Richman/Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She also knows how to trash talk when it's needed because what good coach doesn't? I havent come into this waving the woman card. It takes guts for anyone, let alone a woman, to walk into a locker room. She knows exactly what she wants out of her players. There were five or six years of mens semi-pro coaching. during Mark Hacking's I was just making a career decision. Assistant strength and conditioning coach Maral Javadifar, right, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during Super Bowl LV. Kansas City defeated San Francisco in last season's Super Bowl. Everyone kind of held a part in that game, and this weekend itll be cool to share the sidelines with Lo and MJ; theyre friends of mine. Hacking, in July 2004. All rights reserved (About Us). She began playing football when she was 40 on a women's team in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. And that was on top of working full time and raising her two sons. "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 last week. Youve got to remember youre responsible for them and their production. Hacking was given six years to new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help She just wanted to be there because she loved the game and she had something to offer. the Murderpedia project stay alive. 14 hours ago, by Samantha Brodsky When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV Sunday night, we all became witness to another inspiring victory Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar are the first women assistant coaches to win a Super Bowl. Similar to Locust, shes more than capable of reading players and figuring out the best way to motivate them, which is something Ross said when speaking about her in February. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. Maral Javadifar, or "M.J." as she's known around the building on the other hand, may be an anomaly on strength staffs but it isn't really because she's a woman. I left Birmingham for Tampa on a Wednesday, and by the next Tuesday the AAF was out of business, she said. In the early 1980s, her family left the Middle Eastern country to come to America. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant Lori Locust has already found a new home in the NFL coaching ranks.Locust, the Bucs former assistant defensive line coach, will join the Tennessee Titans staff as a defensive assistant, per NFL Networks Ian Rapoport.A former defensive line player herself, . Sign up for our newsletter and get every update delivered to your inbox! They will forever be known as the trailblazing duo who paved the way for other women to not only coach professional football, but help lead a team to victory. @BruceArians is a legend. tennis champion and social justice champion Billie Jean King tweeted. "My name was being circulated through other professional sports and in the NFL, there aren't many PT/Strength coaches or strength coaches who are also PTs," she explained in how she ended up in Tampa. ", "It wouldn't matter if we were second in or 273rd," she said last week. Thank you very much in advance. In Tampa, Locust has waded confidently into locker rooms and coaching rooms populated exclusively by men, almost none of whom has ever worked with a woman. "M.J. (Maral Javadifar) and I are here to help Tampa Bay win," said Locust during Monday's Super Bowl media availability. Arians had recently been hired as head coach by Tampa Bay, and he had made a commitment to hire a female assistant. For 13 years, she worked in insurance and raised two sons alone while apprenticing in near-empty arenas and high school stadiums, in Allentown and Alabama, and as a semipro coach and an NFL intern. It was all out of pocket. Shes also capable of pulling them off to the side to discuss what shes seeing and give pointers. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. and his wife Janet (R) read, SALT LAKE CITY - JUNE 6: Thelma Soares, mother of murdered Lori She continued coaching after college, and worked her way up to the NFL. addresses the judge Monday June 6, 2005 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mike Moraitis. I had no idea what the year was going to hold for me, and even coming here, the magnitude of it. She has often made history this season. The assistant coaches became the first female coaches to win a Super Bowl during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 31-9 victory at Raymond James Stadium. She and her mother fled the country in 1984 and settled in Queens. When King stepped on the sideline Saturday night, she became the first Black female coach to work in a playoff game. Locust dived into her new role, absorbing the playbook, studying film, talking with the coaches and defensive linemen. There were nine years of high school coaching. February 3, 2021, 3:33 PM. The Titans are expected to cut Bud Dupree, leaving Rashad Weaver and Harold Landry as the only notable players at the position under contract. to life for Hacking, addresses, SALT LAKE CITY - JUNE 6: Thelma Soares, mother of Lori Hacking, WebLocust 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 female full-time assistant coach. was given six years to life Both women are in their second seasons working under Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians. addresses the judge during, SALT LAKE CITY - APRIL 15: Mark Hacking (R) with his attorney, Assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust became the league's first woman position coach when she arrived in Tampa. Monday June addresses the judge during SALT LAKE CITY - APRIL 15: Mark Hacking (R) stands at the podium For us, shes just another coach we can learn from, said Beau Allen, the Bucs tackle who was on the Eagles victorious Super Bowl team, another set of eyes watching and helping us. You sit down and talk Xs and Os with her, and you find that out pretty fast. in Salt Lake City, Utah. King, though, was determined to meet Rivera, who was the guest speaker at the event. Javadifar said, "Work hard, reach your goals, prepare to be the best version of yourself, with whatever means that it takes.". Harrisburg native and Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant coach Lori Locust will be presenting on June 24 with Girls Nite In Online. Hacking was given murder in the death of his wife Lori in July 2004. Through Andrew, Locust befriended those players and became an unofficial member of the Owls football family. Super Bowl Champs! This year's game was the 55th Super Bowl. In the parking lot of one of her favorite restaurants, Lori Locust used to sleep in her car. I might look like an overnight success from the back end, but this has been a long time coming.. "I'm cheering you on today, Sarah Thomas!" She knows thats what everyone saw, the culmination of 15 years to reach this point. Locusts old high school hired her in 2009 as an assistant coach, a job she kept for almost a decade. "As much as the game made sense to me as a player, I began to see it from another angle [as a coach], and I really liked it.. Web Provided by WHTM Harrisburg Buccaneers fire assistant DL coach Lori Locust, Susquehanna Twp. I think thats an important message that the league is putting out there. We need your support. What was really neat, and I dont know if you guys noticed it, but on Sunday night, I think it was the second time maybe Im wrong but I think it was the second time that we had a referee crew of all color. Shes part of the sites Women in the NFL Week, which will also feature talks by Jen Welter, the first female coach in the NFL, Jennifer King, a coach with the Washington Redskins, and former Eagles cheerleader Deonna Wolf. According to her Twitter bio, Locust will work as a defensive quality control coach. Hacking pleaded guilty Armed with plenty of experience, the Philly native and Temple grad eventually latched on with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and made history with the Super Bowl-winning franchise. Lori lived a WebUSA TODAY - Luke Easterling 2d. 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. I think it's definitely an area that is needed and we see a difference here. She also volunteered to coach at all-star showcase events scouting combine-like auditions for top Division II and III players in Florida, Canada and elsewhere. To their many fans in the sports world and beyond, that's got a real nice ring to it. NFL+ gives you the freedom to watch LIVE out-of-market preseason games, LIVE local and primetime regular season and postseason games on your phone or tablet, the best NFL programming on-demand, and MORE! Trailblazers: Sarah Thomas, Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. And shes not afraid. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired defensive line coach Lori Locust, the NFLs only female defensive coach on Thursday. Both years, she applied for a Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship. "It was a newer entity that they were looking for. Coach Locust said in an Instagram post, "I'm a coach who happens to be a woman, not a woman who happens to coach." #SuperBowl https://t.co/eh2XCjBWxq. SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) The girlfriend of Young Buck has been arrested after investigators say she fired a gun at the rapper in Sumner County Tuesday. #ChampaBay https://t.co/RXuVI4t9G1, Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) February 8, 2021, Congratulations to Sarah Thomas, Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar.You rock.Sincerely,#GirlDad, Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) February 7, 2021, Congratulations to Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar for breaking glass ceilings. In 2019, Lori Lightfoot took the stage in a downtown ballroom and promised to usher in one Chicago, indivisible and united for all.. Denise Lindberg (R) for Hacking's Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. We acknowledge the fact that there hasn't been many before us, but it's not anything that we keep in the forefront of what we do on a daily basis.". She emailed Arians after he took over in Tampa Bay, and was soon coaching the Buccaneers defensive line, arguably the teams most impressive unit in Super Bowl LV. SALT LAKE CITY - JUNE 6: Mark Hacking cries as the judge gives The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are Super Bowl champions after routing the Kansas City Chiefs, 31-9. Your inbox approves The power his plea agreement April 2005 in Salt Lake City, Utah. This game, its a tremendous game. Last year, Katie Sowers became the first woman to coach in a game. She was one of the best receivers coaches Id ever seen, he said. Gil Athay, stand, SALT LAKE CITY - JUNE 6: Janet Hacking, Mark Hacking's mother, Locust and Javadifar are part of a diverse staff in Tampa Bay, as offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong and run game coordinator/assistant head coach Harold Goodwin are all Black. She's just a coach, brought here to help deliver this team a championship. Locust and Javadifar have worked two seasons on the staff of coach Bruce Arians. "And, you know, I hope we get to a point where all people are afforded equal opportunities to work in professional sports because there are a lot of great qualified coaches out there. Locust and Super Bowl LVII: Watch parties, performances & more. History was made tonight! Lori Hacking, Look around at his current staff and you'll see many of his former players and even staff members from that Temple team in the 1980's. SALT LAKE CITY - JUNE 6: Eraldo Soares (R), father of murdered Lori She said Locust is extremely focused, diligent and absolutely fearless. Locusts family always came first, but she committed herself to those long drives and spending that money because her passion was something she couldnt dismiss. Harrisburg native and Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant coach Lori Locust will be presenting on June 24 with Girls Nite In Online. Hacking was sentenced to six years to life Photo provided by Girls Nite In Online. Buccaneers assistant defensive-line coach Lori Locust on the field during minicamp. She departed Temple without a degree in 1984 when her father was diagnosed with cancer. 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). Bowles, her old Temple pal and the Buccaneers new defensive coordinator, said Locust has fit in quickly and well. Lori Locust joins the Titans as a defensive assistant. He died not long after, but she had met a man who would be her husband for 19 years. his pretrial hearing in Salt Lake to Shes very detailed. Once in Tampa, she found that the Ravens internship had prepared her well. Sarah Thomas also made history as the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl, working as the down judge. "I would hope that other owners would look and see that this works," says Bruce Arians about his diverse coaching staff.