Kelli Masters
Kelli Masters is an American sports agent and lawyer. She was the first woman to represent an NFL draft pick.
Biography
[edit]Masters was born in Oklahoma City and raised in Tahlequah. She is a member of the Cherokee Nation. After graduating from Midwest City High School in 1991, she studied law at the University of Oklahoma.[1]
While studying at the University of Oklahoma, Masters also competed as a baton twirler and beauty queen. She won the title of Miss Oklahoma in 1997, and later competed in the Miss America pageant.[2] Masters became the first woman to represent an NFL draft pick after signing Gerald McCoy in 2010. Masters later said that she faced sexism as a woman in the industry, and has spoken about the obstacles facing women in the NFL.[3] She had initially been discouraged from entering the field by male colleagues.[4] In 2014, Bleacher Report named Masters as one of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Sports.[5] In 2021, Masters published the autobiographical book High Impact Life.[6]
She is also an annual "NFL Combine Football Career Conference" speaker for the online sports-career training school Sports Management Worldwide, founded and run by Dr. Lynn Lashbrook.
References
[edit]- ^ "Masters enjoying success as sports agent, speaker". Cherokee Phoenix. April 27, 2021.
- ^ "Agent Spotlight: Kelli Masters". Bleacher Report. May 19, 2008.
- ^ "Masters conquers sexism to be successful NFL agent". NBC Sports.
- ^ "In the NFL, these women are making a power play for change". ABC. April 30, 2021.
- ^ "25 of the Most Influential Women in Sports". Bleacher Report. April 3, 2014.
- ^ "Carlson: This Oklahoma City woman is a pioneering NFL agent. Now, she's an author, too". The Oklahoman. August 13, 2021.