Thursday 21 January 2016 14:14, UK
Kathryn Smith has become the first full-time female coach in the NFL after being appointed as quality control special teams coach by the Buffalo Bills.
Smith knows Bills head coach Rex Ryan well after working in a number of roles alongside him at Buffalo and the New York Jets.
She was an administrative assistant this season for Bills' assistant coaches under Ryan and spent the previous 12 seasons working for the New York Jets in various capacities, including as player personnel assistant from 2007-13.
Ryan became Jets coach in 2009 and Smith served as his assistant before he was fired and then hired by the Bills.
In her new role as special teams quality control coach, Smith will assist special teams coordinator Danny Crossman and his assistant Eric Smith.
"She certainly deserves this promotion based on her knowledge and strong commitment, just to name a couple of her outstanding qualities," Ryan said in a statement released by the team.
"She has proven that she's ready for the next step, so I'm excited and proud for her with this opportunity."
Smith becomes the latest female assistant to break the gender barrier in North America's major professional sports.
She follows in the footsteps of Jen Welter, who last summer served a six-week training camp internship coaching inside linebackers for the Arizona Cardinals.
In August 2014, former WNBA player Becky Hammon was hired to San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's staff, becoming the NBA's first full-time paid female assistant coach.
Last month, the Seattle Mariners hired Amanda Hopkins as an area scout. In announcing the hiring, the team said Hopkins is believed to be the first female hired as a full-time scout by a Major League Baseball team since the 1950s.
