Sarah Thomas will next month become the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl, the NFL announced Tuesday. Thomas will serve as a down judge on referee Carl Cheffers’ crew at Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida.
Thomas joined the NFL in 2015 as its first female on-field official. The league assembles its Super Bowl officiating crew based on eligibility — a minimum of five years of experience is required — as well as in-season performance. She has worked a total of four postseason games in six seasons with the league.
In a statement, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent said: “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.”
Cheffers will be working his second Super Bowl in five seasons, having also served as crew chief for Super Bowl LI. Four other members of the crew — umpire Fred Bryan, line judge Rusty Baynes, side judge Eugene Hall and back judge Dino Paganelli — have worked at least one Super Bowl. Field judge James Coleman will round out the crew.
