VANCOUVER 鈥� Tanya Walter is used to pushing her way into unusual spaces.
The former linebacker broke a whole new barrier Tuesday when she was named defensive assistant for the sa国际传媒 Lions, becoming the first full-time female coach in CFL history.聽
鈥淚n my mind, there鈥檚 nothing that is off limits if I put in the time and put in the effort," Walter said on a video call. "I鈥檝e never been one to think, 鈥榤aybe that鈥檚 not for me鈥� or 鈥榤aybe that opportunity鈥檚 not there.鈥欌��
Walter, 30, knows she's making history and that her new job will have a big effect on future generations, but she's staying focused on the responsibilities of her new role.聽
"Obviously, yes, being the first female is a huge win. But myself, I look at it as the job is the job and I鈥檓 here to coach," she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great to be the first and I鈥檓 honoured to be the first, but to really measure the success, I think it鈥檚 about what happens next.鈥�
Walter began playing football in 2013 with the Edmonton Storm of the Western Women鈥檚 Canadian Football League.聽
But growing up in Forestburg, Alta., she played basketball and was repeatedly told she was too loud and too aggressive on the court, and that she took the game too seriously.聽
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have female role models and I looked up to a lot of male athletes, so really, I was just doing what they did," Walter said. "And it wasn鈥檛 until later on when I got into football that I realized there was a space for an athlete of my mindset."
She didn't watch football growing up and didn't know much about the sport when she got on the field.聽
鈥淚t took, honestly, probably two or three years of being a player before I actually fully understood the game," said Walter, who also played for Alberta's provincial squad and the Canadian women's team that won a silver medal at the 2017 IFAF women鈥檚 world championship.
Once she felt she had a solid grasp on the X's and O's, Walter turned to coaching.聽
She started at Edmonton's St. Francis Xavier High School in 2017 and continued through last season. A guest coaching spot with the Canadian Junior Football League's Edmonton Huskies followed, as did an assistant's role with the West Edmonton Raiders girls tackle football squad.聽
The coaching spots were volunteer gigs, so Walter spent 10 years working full time as a personal trainer. In 2020, she took on a role with a minor football association in Edmonton and later started working for a non-profit organization that helps kids play sports.聽
When sa国际传媒 Lions head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell spoke with Walter about the defensive assistant job, he liked her passion for the game and her work ethic. Working in football takes someone with experience and the right demeanour, he said.聽
鈥淵ou kind of have to have the right frame of mind and I think she has all those things," Campbell said.聽
鈥淭he thing I really like about football is you can鈥檛 hide. You鈥檙e either contributing to the team or you鈥檙e not. I fully anticipate her contributing in a big way.鈥�
Walter said she's spoken with a number of female friends who are already working in professional football, including Katie Sowers (who worked for the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs), Phoebe Schecter (a former coach for the Buffalo Bills) and Lori Locust (assistant defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Their advice has been helpful, she said, as she prepares to take on this new challenge.
"(They said) 'Yes, in the beginning you鈥檒l have to show you鈥檙e there, you know what you鈥檙e doing,'" Walter said. "And when it comes down to it, it鈥檚 just allowing people to judge you on your abilities. And the gender part doesn鈥檛 matter.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 15, 2022.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
