Sarah Thomas

Sarah Thomas
Born
Sarah Bailey

(1973-09-21) September 21, 1973 (age 53)
Pascagoula, Mississippi, U.S.
OccupationNFL official (2015–present)
SpouseBrian Thomas (m. 2000)
Children3

Sarah Thomas (née Bailey; born September 21, 1973) is an American football referee for the National Football League (NFL). Thomas is the first woman to be a permanent NFL official. Thomas is breaking gender barriers around her career. Thomas was the first woman to officiate the Super Bowl. She refereed the Super Bowl in Tampa, Florida, in 2021.

Early Life

Sarah Thomas was raised in Pascagoula Mississippi. She and her brother played sports. She received a scholarship for basketball at the University of Mobile. Thomas was recorded 5th best in the school for her excellence in basketball. Her statistics over five seasons: 779 points, 411 rebounds, 108 assists, and 192 steals. Thomas was titled Academic All-American at Mobile. She aided her team get to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Tournament. Thomas got a degree in communications and graduated Mobile in 1995.

First Jobs

Thomas was interested in becoming a Football official after college. She went with her older brother to his officiating meeting. She started being an official for grade school, and then high schools in 1999. Thomas officiated a high school state championship game in Mississippi, 2007. Joe Henes, who is a retired official told Gerry Austin, a supervisor of Conference USA’s officials about Thomas and her ability to officiate. Joe Henes recommended she start officiating college football. Austin looked into her skill set and hired Thomas. This made her the first woman to officiate a major college game.

She started working for the NFL in 2015.

Skills

Thomas has good communication skills. She can talk to coaches. She listens to the coach when they are questioning the call. She calms them down. Coaches are confident about her abilities.

References

  1. ↑ "SPORTS VICTORIES—Sarah Thomas: Believer, Wife, Mom, and NCAA Football Official". mschristianliving.com. February 21, 2014. Archived from the original on August 31, 2014. Retrieved 2015-08-17.
  2. ↑ Stephenson, Creg (May 23, 2014). "NFL: Pascagoula native Sarah Bailey Thomas not among 12 new officials hired for 2014". The Mississippi Press. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  3. ↑ Rockwell, Curtis (August 15, 2015). "NFL history was made Saturday night, and Pascagoula's Sarah Thomas was part of it". The Mississippi Press. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sarah Thomas". Gale Biography Online Collection. 2021-05-11 – via Gale.
  5. 1 2 3 "Who is Sarah Thomas? Fascinating things to know about first female Super Bowl referee". International Business TImes. 2021-02-07. Retrieved 2021-12-07.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 "Meet Sarah Thomas, NFL's first female official". ESPN.com. 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  7. ↑ Wilson, Ryan (2015-04-08). "NFL announces Sarah Thomas will be league's first female official". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2021-12-08.
  8. ↑ "Sarah Thomas Recalls Road To Being First Woman To Officiate Super Bowl". www.baynews9.com. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Swinton, Elizabeth. "Five Things to Know About Sarah Thomas". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2021-02-10.