The Buffalo Bills on Wednesday became the first team in NFL history to hire a full-time female assistant coach, naming Kathryn Smith to a special teams quality-control role.
So who is Smith? Here are five things to know about her:
1. She already was part of the organization. This isn't an external hire, but rather a promotion. Smith served as the administrative assistant to head coach Rex Ryan this season after having the same role in Ryan's final season with the New York Jets in 2014. Smith was seen around the practice field this season, and while she wasn't working hands-on with players during practices, she was a visible presence around the facility. This isn't someone who is starting fresh with a new team, but an existing employee who is changing her role with the organization.
2. She has a background in scouting and personnel. Smith isn't a stranger to the game. After serving as a game-day and special events intern for the Jets in 2003, she became a college scouting intern in 2005 and later served as a full-time player personnel assistant beginning in 2007. Undoubtedly, those jobs have given her exposure to film breakdown, on-field strategy and evaluation of players, which are all skills that she can further develop in her role next season working with the Bills' special-teams unit.
3. She worked with the St. John's University's men's basketball team. According to her LinkedIn page, Smith worked as a student manager for the Big East program and was recognized on that team's Senior Day in spring 2007. Her profile lists her as receiving a bachelor's degree in sports management with a minor in business from St. John's in 2007.
4. She replaces Michael Hamlin, a former NFL player. Smith will hold the same role next season that Hamlin, a former NFL safety, filled for the Bills this season. The Bills announced earlier this month that Hamlin will not return next season. Some of Smith's duties are likely to include helping run the special-teams scout team at practice, breaking down film and assisting special teams coordinator Danny Crossman and special teams assistant Eric Smith, also a former NFL safety, on game days.
5. She isn't the first woman to make history with the Bills. While Smith becomes the NFL's first female full-time assistant coach, she isn't the first woman to make history with the organization. Linda Bogdan, daughter of the late Bills owner Ralph Wilson, was the NFL's first female scout and served as a vice president and was Buffalo's assistant director of college and pro scouting. Bogdan died in 2009 from cancer after 23 years with the team.