Sarah Thomas (American football official)
| Sarah Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Sarah Bailey 1973 (age 43–44) Pascagoula, Mississippi |
| Nationality |
 United States
|
| Occupation | NFL official (2015–present) |
| Spouse(s) | Brian Thomas (m. 2000–present) |
| Children | Bridley Thomas Brady Thomas Bailey Thomas |
Sarah Thomas (born Sarah Bailey) is an American football official, and is currently an official for the National Football League (NFL). Thomas was the first woman to officiate a major college football game, the first to officiate a bowl game, and the first to officiate in a Big Ten stadium. On April 8, 2015, Thomas was hired as the first full-time female official in NFL history, and for the 2017 season, she is on the officiating crew headed by referee Ronald Torbert. Thomas's NFL officiating uniform number is 53, worn in past seasons by umpire Garth DeFelice, line judge Bill Reynolds, and field judge Frank Kirkland.
Thomas was born in 1973 in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She attended Pascagoula High School, where she lettered five times in softball. She attended the University of Mobile on a basketball scholarship and was an academic all-American.
Thomas resides in Brandon, Mississippi and is married with three children.
Thomas began her officiating career in 1996, when she attended a meeting of the Gulf Coast Football Officials Association. She worked her first varsity high school game in 1999.
In 2006, Gerry Austin, Conference USA's coordinator of officials and a former NFL official, invited her to an officials' camp. Austin was impressed with her skills and hired her for the Conference USA staff. In 2007, Thomas became the first woman to officiate a major college football game, working a game between Memphis and Jacksonville State. Before that game, Austin said, "She came highly recommended by two NFL scouts. She has a good presence and demeanor. I feel like she has the ability and courage to make a call, and the guts to not make one, too."
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