ENGLEWOOD, Colorado – Emily Zaler’s internship with the Denver Broncos this summer went so well that the team hired her full-time for the 2020 season and made her the first coach of the franchise history.
Zaler was one of three interns for Bill Walsh of the Broncos as the Broncos walked through training camp this summer. On Saturday, just after the Broncos reduced their squad to 53 players for the regular season, coach Vic Fangio announced that Zaler would stay for the season.
Emily Zaler, one of our Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellows, has been hired full time.
She is our first full-time coach in team history. ????
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– Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 5, 2020
“We will keep her throughout the season,” Fangio said on Saturday. “She’s done a really good job here. She’s knowledgeable, very passionate about the strength and conditioning aspect. We’re happy to have her and we’ll be keeping her all season long.”
Zaler joins a growing group of full-time female coaches in the NFL which now includes Katie Sowers of the 49ers (offensive assistant), Maral Javadifar of the Buccaneers (strength and conditioning assistant) and Lori Locust (assistant defensive line), and the Browns ” Callie Brownson (Chief of Staff).
Washington coach Ron Rivera also hired Jennifer King, who was an intern for Rivera in Carolina in 2017, as an intern for the 2020 season.
Zaler, a certified strength and conditioning trainer, worked with the New York Knicks until the 2019-20 season closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. She was later named one of three Broncos interns on the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship, which gives coaches from college teams and other arenas the opportunity to work with an NFL team in training camp.
Zaler worked with Broncos strength and conditioning coach Loren Landow when the Broncos players showed up for acclimatization in late July and during Broncos training camp, which ended Friday with training at the stadium.
“It has been a wonderful experience and opportunity to coach in the NFL,” Zaler recently told the Broncos website. “And I’m really grateful for Mr. [John] Elway, Coach Fangio and Coach Landow for the opportunity to be here … I’ve always dreamed of coaching in the NFL. ”
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