Maral Javadifar, the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has received a lot of attention in the run-up to Sunday's Super Bowl.

“I do look forward to the day that it is no longer newsworthy to be a woman working in the pros or making the Super Bowl for that matter,” she said Monday.

A female coach had not been part of a Super Bowl until last year. Those who know Javadifar back in New York say it makes sense that she is a trailblazer.

“It’s just absolutely no surprise that she is where she is, because she brings so much to the table,” said Allison Cleary, a former basketball teammate at Pace University.

The daughter of Iranian immigrants, Javadifar grew up in Flushing and attended The Mary Louis Academy, where she is remembered as a standout in academics as well as athletics.

“She really had that kind of a personality where it wasn’t all about her,” recalled Grace Scozzaro-Patchett, dean for Javadifar’s 2008 graduating class. “It was about what she was doing and the influence she had on others."

Javadifar’s work ethic and talent grabbed the attention of Pace University, which gave her a scholarship to play basketball despite an ACL injury.

“On the court, she was very aggressive and anything we needed her to do, she did. She was willing and able to do it,” remembered Patrina Blow, assistant coach to the women’s basketball team.
 

Maral Javadifar, right, playing for Pace University. Photo courtesy of Pace University.

Pushing the team to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament three straight years, Javadifar was also known for her collegiality off the court. 

“We would tease her because if we went to high school games or AAU games, summer league games, and if Maral was in the gym, she knew everybody. She talked to everyone,” said head coach Carrie Seymour.

After graduating from Pace with a bachelors in molecular biology, Javadifar earned her doctorate in physical therapy from New York Medical College. The credentials helped open the door for her in the NFL.
 

Maral Javadifar with Buccaneers Assistant Defensive Line Coach Lori Locust (left) and Washington Football Team Assistant Running Backs Coach Jennifer King (center) prior to the Wild Card game at Washington. Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With the Buccaneers heading to the Super Bowl Sunday, her former college basketball teammates know Javadifar will do what it takes to help secure a win. During a recent Zoom meeting, they recalled her old pregame routines.

“The night before the [basketball] season started, didn’t you guys sleep in your practice jerseys?” Margo Hackett, a former teammate, asked the group. 

“Right, it was that extreme,” replied Brittany Shields, another teammate and Javadifar’s roommate of four years. “We were dressed and ready to go the night before."

“Two hours before any game, any practice, anything, her and Shields were in a tandem, in the training room, getting ice, ice baths, whirlpools, whatever,” said Taylor Losey. “It is not a surprise at all she is where she’s at right now because I’m sure she’s doing the exact - inspiring the same kind of things with her athletes right now,” the former collegiate player said.

With credit to her discipline and drive, some add another ingredient to her groundbreaking success: A positive perspective.

“I looked at her yearbook picture and the quote under her picture was, let’s see, ‘Today is the beginning of something great,’” said Scozzaro-Patchett. “Well, isn’t that the truth?”

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