First Woman To Make NFL History By Officiating In Super Bowl 55

TAMPA, FL — Sarah Thomas is knocking down barriers again in the NFL, where she will soon make history as the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl.

Thomas will serve as a down judge on referee Carl Cheffers' seven-person crew during Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium on Feb. 7.

Thomas joined the NFL in 2015 as its first female on-field official, ESPN reported. Another historic NFL moment for her was in January 2019, serving as the first woman to officiate a playoff game when the Chargers and Patriots faced off.

In an interview with NFL reporter Steve Wyche, she said history was made because she was allowed to be part of that crew but absorbing it is just the fact that they did a professional job. She is a Mississippi native and has worked a total of four postseason games in six seasons with the league.

"Sarah Thomas has made history again as the first female Super Bowl official,” said Troy Vincent Sr., NFL executive vice president of football operations. “Her elite performance and commitment to excellence has earned her the right to officiate the Super Bowl. Congratulations to Sarah on this well-deserved honor.”

Here's the Super Bowl officiating crew:

• Carl Cheffers – Referee
• Fred Bryan – Umpire
• Sarah Thomas – Down Judge
• Rusty Baynes – Line Judge
• James Coleman – Field Judge
• Eugene Hall – Side Judge
• Dino Paganelli – Back Judge
• Mike Wimmer – Replay Official

Thomas was a high school sports all star in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and after graduation she attended the University of Mobile, where she played basketball.

Following her college graduation in 1995 with a degree in communications, she started officiating high school football games in her native state. She caught the attention of an officiating scout at a high school state championship game in Mississippi, according to Profootballnetwork.com

From there she was hired by Gerry Austin, who was Conference USA's supervisor of officials, and the rest is history.