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N.F.L. Roundup: Kathryn Smith, Assistant Promoted by the Bills, Is Praised

Competing in lacrosse, swimming and bowling in high school was not enough for Kathryn Smith.

Come fall, she would spend most Friday nights on the football sideline helping her father, Robert, track statistics for Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse.

Little did anyone envision some 15 years later that Smith’s passion for sports would lead her to become the N.F.L.’s first full-time female assistant coach.

“That’s just her nature that whatever she’s doing, she’s certainly going to jump in headfirst,” Christian Brothers Athletic Director John Wleklinski said Thursday.

“She goes from being someone hard-working, doing the right stuff, to all of a sudden being the answer to a trivia question.