Sarah Thomas To Become First Woman To Officiate Super Bowl As NFL Announces Super Bowl LV Crew
(CBS Local)- The NFL announced Monday its full officiating crew for Super Bowl LV that will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Sunday, February 7. The crew will feature a first for the league as down judge Sarah Thomas will be the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl.
"Sarah Thomas has made history again as the first female Super Bowl official," Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Troy Vincent, Sr. said in a statement. "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."
Carl Cheffers will be the referee for the crew that includes five members with previous Super Bowl experience. The full officiating crew is:
- Carl Cheffers- Referee
- Fred Bryan- Umpire
- Sarah Thomas- Down Judge
- Rusty Barnes- Line Judge
- James Coleman- Field Judge
- Eugene Hall- Side Judge
- Dino Paganelli- Back Judge
Thomas is in her sixth season as an official and Super Bowl LV will mark her fifth playoff game that she's officiated. She is joined by James Coleman, the field judge for this game, in making their first Super Bowl appearance. The crew as a whole has 88 years of NFL experience and has officiated a combined 77 playoff games.
"Their body of work over the course of a 17-game season has earned them the honor of officiating the biggest game on the world's biggest stage," said Vincent. "They are the best of the best."
Super Bowl LV is set for February 7 at 6:30 p.m. EST on CBS
