Jen Welter Played Big To Become First Female NFL Coach

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Ian Pickus

Published October 17, 2017 at 11:35 AM EDT

Despite her 5-foot-2, 130-pound frame, Jen Welter always excelled in athletics, from tennis to rugby to women’s football. Welter credits her determination for helping her crack one of American’s most stubborn glass ceilings. In 2015, she became the first female coach in the National Football League, working with the Arizona Cardinals’ linebackers in the preseason. But as Welter writes in her new memoir "Play Big," it took years of adversity in life and sports before Welter found herself on the sidelines. Now, she hopes her story can inspire others.

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Ian Pickus

A lifelong resident of the Capital Region, Ian joined WAMC in 2008 and became news director in 2013. He began working on Morning Edition and has produced The Capitol Connection, produced and hosted the Congressional Corner, and several other WAMC programs. Ian can also be heard as the host of the WAMC News Podcast and on The Roundtable and newscasts. Ian holds a BA in English and journalism and an MA in English, both from the University at Albany, where he has taught journalism since 2013.

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