Photo of Dr. Jen Welter by Roscoe Myrick

Pass, Punt and Chicks

Out of the Stands and Onto the Field, Dr. Jen Welter Ignites a Passion for Women’s Football

By Stacey Gualandi & JJ Snyder

When Dr. Jen Welter is on the football field, do not cross her line of scrimmage. “Sometimes I forget I am retired because I still tackle people on demand!”

It might sound unusual for a doctor—let alone a 5-foot-2-inch woman—to go from sideline to offensive line, but Dr. Welter follows her playbook.

In 2015, Welter became the first female in the NFL when she joined the Arizona Cardinals as a linebackers coach. She was also the first woman to play running back in the Champions Indoor Football League with the Texas Revolution. In 2018, she was inducted into the first class of the Women’s Football Hall of Fame.

This motivational speaker and author continues to move the chains for all women by teaching confidence through football. She believes there is no game you cannot play and no field you do not belong on.

“I think of football as full contact chess,” Dr. Welter says. “Every time you step on the field, you’ve got to own the space, not just in football. That’s in life.”

Almost a decade ago, Welter—who has a doctorate in psychology and master’s in sports psychology—created “A Day in the Life,” the ultimate insider experience for women by women.

This annual event also benefits Welter’s other cause, the Grrridiron Girls Flag Football Camp for young girls. Welter draws from her decades of playing, winning and coaching to make football accessible and inspiring for women so they can “break through barriers and realize their potential.”

“In football and life, it’s a game of leverage,” Welter says. “If you lose contact with where you came from and what you started with, it’s easy to get knocked off balance.”

Welter just announced that her next “A Day in the Life” event will occur on Feb. 7 during Super Bowl LIX weekend in New Orleans at the NOLA Sports Center. This follows her successful camping trip earlier this year to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl LXIII edition.

Amy Buchan Siegfried, co-founder and podcast host of “Last Night’s Game,” is part of the event’s traveling team. “Women make up 48 percent of the NFL’s fan base, so why are we not showing them what’s happening on the field?” Siegfried asks. “What an empowering moment to play, execute and learn the game. Dr. Welter speaks the language. She understands who and where they are and is here to empower everyone.”

While my friend/fellow adventurist JJ Snyder and I are Las Vegas Raiders fans and always up for an empowering workout, we’ve never played football before. So, we called an audible and officially got drafted.

This was unlike any huddle we’ve ever seen!

Dr. Welter kicked off the day with a playbook session and warm-up, after a rousing on-field arrival to cheers and DJ tunes—and a pep talk to rival all pep talks. Calling plays alongside her were over a dozen celebrity coaches, including former running backs Ricky Watters and Ahman Green, linebacker Chris Draft, cornerback Paulson Adebo and punter Marquette King.

“This is a collection of some of the best at what they do,” Welter adds. “They are here because they all believe in me, and they’re going to put that into you.”

After swapping heels for cleats, we spent the afternoon in groups learning how to kick, shuffle, catch, hike, snap and spiral properly. Oh, and yes, tackle. “Muscle in the front, hustle on the outside, crazy in the middle,” Welter says repeatedly during the drills.

The point after, we realized, is the power of teamwork and ultimately finding where your talent is best suited. “Everyone is even on the field, and we have a diverse balance,” Siegfried says. “It’s just an opportunity to connect and be a team. We may hear only about Patrick Mahomes or Brock Purdy, but a whole contingent ensures they can be Mahomes and Purdy. Jen does a great job of teaching that we are all working on this together.”

Siegfried says a woman once admitted she walked on the field “just a mom” but walked off “a cool mom who knows football!” That tracks for many participants at “A Day in the Life” in Las Vegas.

Celebrity coach and pro football player Lois Cook (@cleatsandstilettos) says this representation also matters to young girls.

“I accepted ‘No,’ and that I couldn’t play the sport,” Cook says. “But ‘if she can see it, she can be it,’ so if I had seen Jen, I would have known that the possibilities are endless, that I could reach for the stars…there are challenges and obstacles, but I can always overcome and get through it.”

Snyder has spent her entire life observing football but knew little about the sport. Getting to experience it on the field firsthand shed light on the power of women being handed the ball.

“Dr. Welter busted in like a boss overflowing with motivation, giving me little choice other than to share her passion for the sport,” Snyder says. “We were challenged to find a skill we could excel at, like throwing, running or tackling. It was mind-blowing to experience being part of the game rather than cheering from the stands.”

If you’re like me and enjoy reaching goals, working out and hitting the gridiron, “A Day in the Life” is fantasy football. It also reveals just how much football mirrors reality.

Welter says life is full of fumbles, interceptions and lateral moves, but to get great, you’ve “gotta get real ugly” before you score a touchdown.
“Then you start to be addicted to greatness, and you know what you’re worth,” Welter says. “Once you find that in yourself, you hunger for it. Don’t settle for anything less because you deserve magic.”

Put me in, coach!