Sarah Thomas

Who is Sarah Thomas?

Sarah Thomas is a football official referee. Sarah Thomas will be the first woman to serve as a Super Bowl referee. Sarah is currently employed as a powerful football official (referee) in the National Football League.

Thomas was the first woman to serve as an official in major college football, and she was followed by significant games such as the bowl game and Big Ten Stadium.

Childhood, Family, and Education

Sarah Thomas was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, on September 21, 1973.

Despite the fact that she has spoken extensively about her parents, she has yet to share their identities. In any case, she grew up with her brothers, both of whom are football officials.

Sarah has had a well-groomed childhood and has been involved in athletics since she was a toddler.

In addition, having two older brothers who were active in sports piqued her interest in them. She was soon playing softball and basketball as well.

Education

Sarah received her education at Pascagoula High School, where she began her softball career. As I previously stated, it should come as no surprise that she lettered five times in that particular game.

As a result, even if her father wouldn’t let her play, she’d do so with the boy’s team. She went on to the University of Mobile, where she continued to play basketball.

In fact, she received a basketball scholarship to attend that university. She was an academic all-American throughout her college career.

She finished college with 779 points, 441 rebounds, 108 assists, and 192 steals, putting her in sixth place all-time at the school.

Her enthusiasm for sports didn’t wane after graduation, though, as she joined church league basketball and played in games.

Height, Age, and Physical Characteristics

Sarah Thomas, on the other hand, hasn’t informed the public of her current body dimensions and weight.

She is, nevertheless, a blonde lady who stands at a respectable 5 feet 7 inches tall (168 cm).

In terms of appearance, she has a fair complexion, black eyes, and an oval-shaped face. Furthermore, even as a public figure, she follows a strict diet and workout regimen.

Her fitness program is divided into three parts: an upper half workout, a lower half workout, and an overall conditioned session.

Push-ups, chest passes, and hand walks make up her upper body, while back squats, squat jumps, and sled pushes make up her lower body.

Warm-ups, sprints, and lateral slides are all part of her conditioning routine. These workout routines are, of course, in addition to her repetition sets.

Facts of Sarah Thomas

Net Worth & Earnings

Sarah Thomas leads a lavish life with her millions of dollars. Although they haven’t enclosed her detailed net worth and figures, she makes $180,000 as an average annual salary today.

According to sources, her normal game earning is between $4,000-$5,000 per game, while she makes $10,000 for the Super Bowl playoffs.

Altogether, her per year earnings are recorded to be around $250,000 as an NFL official.

Additionally, she also appeared in the 2019 Super Bowl LIII commercial. Also, she works full-time in pharmaceutical sales for Novo Nordisk.

Career as a Referee

A game-changer! Sarah did not give up; instead, she discovered a new way to pursue her love.

She then began accompanying her brother to a meeting of football authorities (Gulf Coast Football Officials Association).

As a result, the year 1996 was a turning point in her career, and she began working in Mississippi’s high school associations.

She worked with the Middle Mississippi Athletic Association for seven years before applying for junior college football.

Conference in the United States

In 2006, she was called to officiate in Conference USA after ten years of high school commitment.

As she stated, she had a 45-minute interview, and her communication abilities were important in her advancement. Gerry Austin, Conference USA’s official coordinator at the time, approved her membership in the organization.

As a result, Sarah Thomas made history by being the first woman to officiate a major college football game in 2007.

“She (Sarah) knew that the rules of football should be enforced in the spirit of the game, not in the technical drafting of the rules,” said Gerry Austin, the coordinator of officials for Conference USA.

She has worked for two Conference USA games at Jacksonville State and one at the University of Memphis.

Bowl Matches

Within a two-year period, Thomas set yet another record by becoming the first person to officiate a bowl game (Little Caesars Pizza Bowl).

In 2009, she covered a major college football game with five other members. In her third season, she was the only one to start in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

She also appeared in United Football League games, and she even officiated the league championship game in 2010. She also made history in 2011 when she became the first woman to officiate in a Big Ten stadium.

Career in NFL

Sarah was named to the permanent NFL officiating position in 2013, and the NFL Referee Development program followed closely behind.

She went on to work in the college Senior Bowl for Division I players after that. Now, as we arrive at the most anticipated phase of her life, being the permanent full-time officiate.

On September 13, 2015, she made her debut with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

Since then, she has never stepped down, nor has she ever given us the reason to point anything at her.

In fact, what flows is the stillness in her consistency and the only light that motivates youngsters and anyone laid back.

Speaking of professionalism, you should see the 2016 Thomas, when she completed her work even with a broken wrist during a Vikings-Packers game.

Way before the 2021 season, all the NFL officiates were to wear a baggy uniform and a cap without holes.

However, as Thomas got charged as the first lady officiate, she can have her hair in a ponytail.

Thus, now, she can be easily figured out in the crowd. Overall, she was last seen in the match between Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs on February 7, 2021.

First Woman to Officiate in Super Bowl

Everyone attached to the NFL knows how the sports officials are; stout male, old, grey hair, fair-skinned, etc.

Although officiating stands as one of the most impactable stances, it was mostly centered on one fixed point. The progress is slow with the NFL system that includes women and other faces of different colors.

Therefore, when Thomas became the first woman to officiate Super Bowls, it was news right for celebration.

After 2015, she stood as the down judge in 2017 and earned her foremost on-field assignment for a playoff game. Not to mention her alternate role in the 2018 Atlanta Falcons and Los Angeles Rams Wild Card game.

All in all, she also officiated the 2020 NFL season alongside the crew headed by referee Shawn Hochuli.

Furthermore, with a back-to-back history record, she is all set to add another peak in her career on February 7 in Tampa, Florida.

Yes, she will appear again as the down judge for the Super Bowl LV officiating crew, the first woman to officiate Super Bowl.

This time, she will feature alongside her crewmates, umpire Fred Bryan, line judge Rusty Baynes, field judge James Coleman, side judge Eugene Hall, back judge Dino Paganelli and replay official Mike Wimmer.

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Personal Life, Husband & Kids

Apart from being the NFL official, Thomas handles a much bigger responsibility as a mother and a wife.

She is a down-to-earth person who has made her family home and also inspired her daughter and many others.

She is a married woman with three kids (two sons, Brady Thomas and Bridley Thomas, and a daughter Bailey Thomas).

Additionally, she is also a loving wife to her spouse, Brian Thomas.

The duo has been married since 2000 and has been going strong ever since. Not to mention, she credits all her success to her family.