Black History Month got much sweeter in more ways than one when Jalen Hurts and his teammates defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, earning the franchise its second Vince Lombardi Trophy. Additionally, this resulted in Lockwood achieving another historic milestone as the first Black woman coach to win a Super Bowl championship. She celebrated the monumental moment by posting a photo of her in the locker room holding the trophy in one hand with a cigar in the other. It was accompanied by the caption, “WORLD CHAMPS 🏆 | SUPER BOWL LIX 🎉 GOD IS SO GOOD 🙏🏽✨ 🦅💚 #gobirds”

 

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This benchmark followed her becoming the first Black woman to coach in a Super Bowl two years ago. This accomplishment is significant because of the lack of diversity and inclusion of women and people of color across the league’s 32 coaching staff teams.

Lockwood holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Arizona and a master’s in sports management from East Tennessee State. Before working for the NFL, she assisted athletes at the University of Houston and East Tennessee State in sports performance and as a strength and conditioning specialist at UNLV and the University of Arizona. In 2022, the Pennsylvania native accepted the strength and conditioning associate position with the Philadelphia Eagles. One year later, she was promoted to associate performance coach.

Lockwood’s success spotlights the NFL’s ongoing struggles with diversity in coaching. According to FOX26, there are only six Black head coaches active in the league entering the 2024 season. Women remain scarce in these roles, with the majority still held by men.

Though the NFL has introduced initiatives to improve inclusion, Lockwood’s accolades underscore the uphill battle for the equitable representation of women and Black coaches at the sport’s highest level.