Sarah Thomas (American football official)
American football official (born 1973)
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Interest in “Sarah Thomas (American football official)” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-06-03.
Categorised under Sports, this article fits a familiar pattern. Sports articles typically spike during championship events, record-breaking performances, or high-profile transfers and controversies.
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Key Takeaways
- Sarah Thomas ( née Bailey ; born September 21, 1973) is an American football official, currently for the National Football League (NFL).
- On April 8, 2015, Thomas was hired as the first full-time female official in NFL history, and for the 2020 NFL season, she was on the officiating crew headed by referee Shawn Hochuli.
- In January 2021, she became the first woman to earn an on-field assignment for an NFL playoff game.
- Personal life Thomas was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi.
- She attended the University of Mobile on a basketball scholarship and was an academic all-American.
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Source summary
WikipediaSarah Thomas (née Bailey; born September 21, 1973) is an American football official, currently 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 2020 NFL season, she was on the officiating crew headed by referee Shawn Hochuli. She wears uniform number 53. In January 2021, she became the first woman to earn an on-field assignment for an NFL playoff game. In February 2021, she became the first woman to officiate in a Super Bowl.
Thomas was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She attended Pascagoula High School, where she lettered five times in softball, the first student to ever do so. She attended the University of Mobile on a basketball scholarship and was an academic all-American. In her three seasons on the basketball team, Thomas amassed 779 points, 441 rebounds, 108 assists, and 192 steals. This ranks her fifth in the school’s history.
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