(Reuters) – Cleveland Browns chief of staff Callie Brownson on Sunday became the first woman to coach an NFL position group during a regular-season game in their win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Brownson served as the interim tight ends coach in place of Drew Petzing, who did not travel with the Browns after his wife gave birth to the couple’s first child on Saturday.
The Browns beat the Jaguars 27-25 and improved to 8-3 on the season.
Hired by the Browns this season, Brownson previously joined the NFL’s New York Jets as a scouting intern in 2017 and then served as offensive quality control coach for Dartmouth College from 2018 to 2019.
Brownson also has an impressive background as a football player with the D.C. Divas of the Women’s Football Alliance from 2010-17. She was a five-time team captain and helped the Divas win national titles in 2015 and 2016.
Other female coaches have reached the NFL in recent years, perhaps none more prominent than offensive assistant Katie Sowers of the San Francisco 49ers who appeared in last season’s Super Bowl.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris)
