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Baltimore Ravens Add Three Women To Coaching, Analytics Staffs As Apprentices

Ryan Mayer

The Baltimore Ravens released a statement Tuesday morning announcing that the team will add three women to it's coaching and front office staff for the summer months. Lori Locust, and Elena Grigelevich will join the team when training camp opens on July 18th and stay through most of the pre-season while Erica Vinson-Ondecko will be with the team on the first day of mandatory minicamp.

The three will be shadowing various Ravens team personnel as part of the apprenticeship, Locust will learn from the defensive staff, Vinson-Ondecko will shadow specialists coach Randy Brown and Grigelevich will be part of the analytics team.

All three women have previous football experience in those areas. Vinson-Ondecko is entering her sixth season coaching placekickers and punters at Waynesboro Area High School in Pennsylvania. Locust has coached for 13 years at multiple levels, most recently in the National Arena League with the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks where she's the Defensive Assistant, Defensive Lineman/Linebackers Coach and Co-Special Teams Coordinator. Grigelevich founded Bryant Football's Think Tank, which studies team tendencies and has grown to 33 members over the last two years.

The three women are part of a continuing trend in the league of teams bringing in women for roles internships/apprenticeships/coaching positions. Last year, eight women were in training camp with five different franchises (Bills, Falcons, Jets, Vikings, 49ers). Two women have become full time assistant coaches in the last two years with the Buffalo Bills hiring Kathryn Smith as quality control coach and the San Francisco 49ers bringing in Katie Sowers as an offensive assistant on Kyle Shanahan's staff.

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