While the Philadelphia Eagles and their fans celebrated a well-deserved victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Ceasars Superdome this past Sunday evening, a young lady named Autumn Lockwood cheered right along with the Eagles and fans for a couple of reasons. One, the team she works for won; two, she made history that night as the first Black woman coach to win a Super Bowl title.
Lockwood began her career as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant with the basketball program at East Tennessee State from 2018 to 2020. The Pennsylvania native got her first taste of the NFL as an intern for the Atlanta Falcons’ strength staff, and in 2021, she served as the director of sports performance at the University of Houston.
Autumn Lockwood Has Made History Twice
Source: Kevin Sabitus / Getty
Lockwood joined the Philadelphia Eagles team as a strength and conditioning associate in 2022, and in 2023, she was named an associate performance coach by the team. Then, she made history as the first Black woman to coach in a Super Bowl game.
As the Associate Performing Coach for the Philadelphia Eagles, Lockwood’s job is to develop training strategies, nutrition regimens, and mental exercises that assist the players in improving their performance on the field. In an interview posted on the Gatorade Performance X (formerly known as Twitter) page in 2023, Lockwood emphasized the importance of developing players on and off the field, saying, “If you can help develop them in any way mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually – that’s what you’re there to do.”
Fast-forward two years, and the East Tennessee State alum has helped her team win the Super Bowl championship title while breaking a record in an industry that is known for shunning women.
Autumn Lockwood Prioritizes Self-care
Before Lockwood begins her day caring for her players, she tends to her needs first. She recently chatted with suicide prevention nonprofit The Defensive Line about how she prioritizes her mental health with therapy and spirituality. “I begin my day by talking to my therapist, Jody,” she stated. “From there, my day is always started by connecting with Jesus in some shape, way, or form.”
Lockwood’s success is much-needed and inspiring. Go, girl!
Source: NewsOne