Photo Credit: Autumn Lockwood/Instagram
Besides the news of Nigerian-American Moro Ojomo winning his first Super Bowl, the Philadelphia Eagles’ 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs became even more historic with assistant performance coach Autumn Lockwood making history as the first Black woman coach to win a Super Bowl.
A former soccer player and certified strength and conditioning specialist, Lockwood has steadily built a career in sports performance. She joined the Eagles in 2022 as a strength and conditioning associate before earning a promotion to associate performance coach in 2023.
In 2023, Lockwood became the first Black woman to coach in a Super Bowl and only the fourth woman in NFL history to do so. Now, with the Eagles’ latest championship win, she has broken another barrier, making her place in history as the first Black woman coach to win the Super Bowl.
Her path to the NFL was no accident. Lockwood earned her degree in Exercise and Sports Science from the University of Arizona before gaining experience in strength and conditioning roles at East Tennessee State University and the University of Houston. Her expertise caught the attention of the Atlanta Falcons, where she participated in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. That opportunity paved the way for her move to the Eagles.
Lockwood’s historic achievement comes at a time when the NFL continues to face scrutiny over the lack of diversity in coaching positions. As of the 2024 season, there are only six Black head coaches in the league. Women also remain significantly underrepresented in coaching roles, with most positions still dominated by men.
