Bucs' Javadifar, Locust become 1st female coaches to win Super Bowl
On same night, Sarah Thomas was 1st woman to referee NFL's title game
Lori Locust and Maral Javadifar, Super Bowl champs.
To their many fans in the NFL world and beyond, that's got a real nice ring to it.
Locust and Javadifar became the first female coaches on a team to win the Super Bowl, helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 Sunday night.
The 30-year-old Javadifar is an assistant strength and conditioning coach, and the 56-year-old Locust is an assistant defensive line coach.
"History was made tonight!" tennis great and social justice champion Billie Jean King tweeted.
Congratulations to <a href="https://twitter.com/CoachLoLoc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoachLoLoc</a> and Coach <a href="https://twitter.com/Maraljavadifar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Maraljavadifar</a>, the first women coaches to ever win a Super Bowl. <br><br>History was made tonight! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuperBowl?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuperBowl</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EarnedNotGiven?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EarnedNotGiven</a> <a href="https://t.co/betxrR8bcm">https://t.co/betxrR8bcm</a>
—@BillieJeanKing
Locust and Javadifar have worked two seasons on the staff of coach Bruce Arians. Soon enough, they'll get their Super Bowl rings, just like Tom Brady and the rest of the Buccaneers.
Last season, Katie Sowers became the first female to coach in a Super Bowl. She was an offensive assistant for the San Francisco 49ers in their loss to the Chiefs.
"Even though I have yet to win the big game, with these amazing women helping to lead the way ... tonight, I feel like we all won," tweeted Sowers.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/progress?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#progress</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/diversity?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#diversity</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomenSupportingWomen?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WomenSupportingWomen</a> <a href="https://t.co/QBfxyVlM94">pic.twitter.com/QBfxyVlM94</a>
—@KatieSowers
This year's game was the 55th Super Bowl.
The Buccaneers were the only NFL team with two female coaches on their staff this season.
Locust echoed that sentiment.
"It wouldn't matter if we were second in or 273rd," she said last week. "And I mean, like we acknowledge the fact there hasn't been many before us, but it's not anything that we kind of keep in the forefront of what we do on a daily basis."
Sarah Thomas also made history as the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl, working as the down judge.
"I'm cheering you on today, Sarah Thomas!" first lady Jill Biden tweeted.
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