Who Was the First Woman to Referee an NFL Game?
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The first woman to referee an NFL game was Shannon Eastin, who officiated the 2012 Hall of Fame Game. She is also the first female official in NFL history.
Sarah Thomas
Sarah Thomas was the first woman to referee an NFL game. She started her career as a referee in 2007 and has officiated many high-profile games, including the Super Bowl. Thomas is a trailblazer in the world of sports and has inspired other women to pursue their dreams.
Early life
Sarah Thomas was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and was the middle child of three girls. She started playing organized sports in fifth grade, including softball, basketball, and track and field. From an early age, Thomas aspired to become an athletic trainer; however, she began officiating sporting events in high school after attending a summer football officiating camp with her father. In college, she played softball for two years as a pitcher at the University of Mobile before transferring to the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical education.
College career
Sarah Thomas (born 1971) is an American football official who is currently a line judge in the National Football League (NFL). She became the first woman to officiate a major college football game in 2007, and the first to officiate a bowl game and a Big Ten Conference game in 2009. Thomas was also the first full-time female official in NFL history, appointed in 2015.
NFL career
Sarah Thomas became the first woman to officiate an NFL game in 2015, when she was the line judge for a pre-season game between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. She made history again in 2019 when she became the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl, serving as the down judge for Super Bowl LIII.
Thomas originally worked as a bank examiner for the Federal Reserve, but she began officiating high school football games in 1999 after being approached by a friend who was an official. She then began working college games in 2007, and she became a full-time official for Conference USA in 2009. In 2015, she became the first woman to be hired as a full-time NFL official.
In addition to her work as an official, Thomas has also served as a mentor for other women who are interested in officiating football games.
Shannon Eastin
Shannon Eastin made history in 2006 when she became the first woman to referee an NFL game.Eastin had been a referee for 16 years in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), and she was the first woman to work as a full-time official in any Division I conference. Eastin was hired by the NFL as a replacement referee during the 2012 NFL referee lockout.
Early life
Shannon Eastin (born 1968) is an American sports official. On September 24, 2012, she became the first woman to officiate an National Football League (NFL) game.
Eastin was born in Lorain, Ohio in 1968, the daughter of Nancy and Shannon Eastin Sr. Shannon played basketball and softball while attending Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio. After high school, she attended Glenville State College on a basketball scholarship.
College career
Shannon Eastin (born December 4, 1963) is an American football official. She was the first woman to officiate a major college football game, and the first woman to referee an National Football League pre-season game.
Eastin played soccer and softball growing up. She received a scholarship to play softball at the University of Arizona. After one year she transferred to Mesa Community College where she played soccer for two years before moving on to California State University, Hayward (now called CSU East Bay).
NFL career
In 2012, Shannon Eastin became the first woman to officiate an NFL regular season game. She was hired as a replacement official during the 2012 NFL referee lockout.
A former college volleyball and track athlete, Eastin officiated football games for 16 years before signing a contract with the NFL. In 2009, she became the first woman to officiate a major college football game when she worked a game between Missouri and Illinois.
During her brief time in the NFL, Eastin worked as a line judge. In 2013, she was hired by the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) to be their coordinator of officials, making her the first woman to hold that position in a Division I conference.
Conclusion
In 2012, the NFL made history when it hired Shannon Eastin as the first full-time female official. Before that, Sarah Thomas became the first woman to officiate an NFL game in 2015.
While these women have made great strides, there is still room for improvement when it comes to diversity among NFL officials. As of 2019, only 21% of NFL officials are people of color.
