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Influential women in football
Not all battles in football are won on the field. These 15 women are proof. This group of pioneers has built the National Football League into the meritocracy that it is today, each in her own way.
Martha Firestone Ford is a revered owner. Amy Trask is a Super Bowl executive. Sarah Thomas is a full-time referee. Beth Mowins is set to break ground as a nationwide play-by-play announcer. Charean Williams is a national writer and Hall of Fame selector.
From the front office to the field, these women have made significant in-roads toward defining the direction of America's most popular sport and opening doors for those who dream to follow in their footsteps. Read about their contributions to the game of football below.
1 / 15
Kim Pegula
Mike Groll/Associated Press
2 / 15
Amy Trask
Eric Risberg/Associated Press
3 / 15
Dee Haslam
David Richard/Associated Press
4 / 15
Martha Firestone Ford
Paul Sancya/Associated Press
5 / 15
Amy Adams Strunk
Ben Liebenberg/NFL
6 / 15
Beth Mowins
Ben Margot/Associated Press
7 / 15
Kathryn Smith
Bill Wippert/Associated Press
8 / 15
Katie Blackburn
Al Behrman/Associated Press
9 / 15
Sarah Thomas
Bill Kostroun/Associated Press
10 / 15
Jacqueline Davidson
Dan Szpakowski/New York Jets
11 / 15
Charlotte Jones Anderson
Ron Jenkins/Associated Press
12 / 15
Jeanne Bonk
Los Angeles Chargers
13 / 15
Hannah Gordon
Terrell Lloyd/San Francisco 49ers
14 / 15
Dawn Aponte
Lynne Sladky/Associated Press
15 / 15
Charean Williams
Khampha Bouaphanh/Star-Telegram
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