Who was the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl? Reliving the history behind the league’s landmark call
Super Bowl LV marked an iconic moment in NFL history. While every edition is historic for its own separate reasons, the final game of the 2020 NFL season between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs featured a special storyline unrelated to the actual outcome of the game. This marked the first time in NFL history that a woman referreed a game.
Sarah Thomas is a pioneer who made NFL history during this landmark event. She is no stranger to making history on the gridiron as she's done so several times during her impressive professional career. This just added to her list of ground-breaking accomplishments, including being the first full-time female referee in the NFL, the first woman to officiate a major college football game, and the first woman to be a referee in any game during the NFL Playoffs.
In an interview with CBS News, Sarah Thomas was extremely modest about her accomplishments. She doesn't seek credit; instead, she just pursues her goals and takes whatever comes with it.
"I've always said that, if you do something because you love it and not try to prove somebody wrong or get recognition for it, the recognition probably just is going to happen."
NFL executive vice-president of football operations Troy Vincent was much more forthcoming about her achievements.
"Sarah Thomas has made history again as the first female Super Bowl official. 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."
Sarah Thomas served as a down judge on the officiating crew for the game that took place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. While she will not be on the staff for the upcoming game, there will be three members of the same crew, including the head referee.
Who is the referee for Super Bowl LVII?
This year's big game will feature Carl Cheffers as the head referee when the Philadelphia Eagles face off against the Kansas City Chiefs. While Sarah Thomas isn't on his crew this year, he will be joined by two other familiar faces from Super Bowl LV. Eugene Hall and Dino Paganelli will each be on staff this year.
Also read: “Shouldn’t even be able to work at f**king Foot Locker” – Why Travis Kelce snapped on Super Bowl referee Carl Cheffers