Pascagoula's Sarah Thomas on track to become NFL's first permanent female referee?

JACKSON, Mississippi -- It's not about the recognition for Pascagoula native and University of Mobile graduate Sarah Thomas, although she's getting plenty of it. She's on track to become the NFL's first permanent female official, possibly as early as 2014.
A finalist in the NFL's scouting program, Thomas recently finished officiating at the Indianapolis Colts mini-camp.
She has already made history as the first female referee to work games in major college football.
She is also the first woman to work as a referee in a college bowl game.

Pascagoula's Sarah Thomas (file photo)

The uniform's bold black and white stripes and black cap make her indistinguishable from colleagues on the field.
"I tuck my hair, and I don't wear makeup like I do on my 8-to-5 job," said Thomas, 39, who works in Brandon as a pharmaceutical sales representative .
"You know, we want to blend in. I want to look a part. And I don't want any of the attention to be on me.
"It's about the sport and the game. If we as a crew can work a game and go unnoticed and it's uneventful, we've done a great job."
In the NFL's new officiating development program, of which Thomas is a part, a select group of finalists gets NFL on-field experience during the offseason, at mini-camps, at training camps and by working preseason games.

"This allows us to take a closer look at these officials, get to see how they react to NFL speed and mechanics, and how they adapt to the rules of the NFL game versus the college game," said Dean Blandino, NFL vice president of officiating.

"Having somebody like Sarah as a role model is really just good for the game, and it's good for women in athletics and officiating."

Finalists are next in line when there's an opening for an NFL game official. Shannon Eastin, among replacements hired during the officials' lockout, became the first female official in a preseason and regular-season NFL game last year. Thomas could become the first woman to become a permanent NFL game official. Finalists will be evaluated during training camps and preseason games, then return to their college schedules.
Next up for Thomas is attending an NFL team training camp with a group of officials later this summer to work with players and coaches, giving rules presentations and working practices.
"Diversity is important," Blandino said. "It's one of the core principles of the NFL. ... Having somebody like Sarah as a role model is really just good for the game, and it's good for women in athletics and officiating."
A college athlete in basketball, Thomas came to football officiating through her older brother, Lea Bailey, 17 years ago. She accompanied him to a football officials' meeting and was struck by their sense of purpose.
"The guys took this serious enough to meet and go over the rules. As a fan, you don't ever hear of or see that aspect of it. And then, I thought I knew football. But really and truly, I didn't have any clue," she said.
The challenge piqued her competitive spirit. She went in baby steps. Philosophies, strategies and understanding the game presented a big learning curve for someone who hadn't played the sport.
With basketball, she understood all aspects. But when she tried her hand officiating basketball, "I found myself wanting to coach the girls, as opposed to officiating. ... I found more fulfillment and challenge from the football aspect of it."
Thomas hasn't encountered difficulties in this male-dominated terrain, she said. "I think it's just because I was raised with brothers, and I was always with the guys, playing sports or whatever."
Thomas is a line judge with Conference USA (which includes the University of Southern Mississippi), where she's been a full-time official for seven years. Female referees aren't as unusual now as they were when she was first hired, Conference USA officiating coordinator Gerald Austin said.
"She was the first one for Division I football. We now have three on our staff at Conference USA," with a couple more at the Division I level, he said.
Austin became aware of Thomas through NFL scout Joe Haynes.
"He said, 'I've got an official that I think you ought to look at.' I said, 'How much experience does he have?' And he says, '10 years high school officiating.' I said, 'Well, that's good.' He says, 'Just worked the state championship game.' I said, 'Well, what's his name?' He said, 'His name is Sarah.' 'I said, 'Joe, you gotta be kidding me.'" He wasn't.
Austin called her and suggested she go to the Reno Football Officials Camp, where of the 15-16 officials at her position, "I thought she was in the top three."
He hired Thomas, gave her two games the first year, half a schedule her second year and put her on a crew the third year. She's worked a couple of bowl games and a conference championship game.
Bottom line: "Can the person officiate?" Presence, confidence, ability, positioning and judgment -- "they see the play and they know when to make a call and when to leave the play alone ... don't get picky or technical" -- were categories Thomas fit, Austin said. He's told her, first and utmost, be as good an official as she can and let everything else take care of itself.
"That's pretty much what she's done and that's how she has gotten national attention. And they'll judge her the same way," Austin said. "They'll judge her on her ability."
Thomas' great passion for the game is obvious, said Jack Vaughan, who's worked closely with her in Conference USA, including in the replay booth last year when she was pregnant and couldn't work in the field.
"She understands the competitiveness of athletics at the college level, and then she has the physical ability to move, and the good sense and the good judgment to realize what's going on. ... She is very teachable, or coachable.
"When you tell her something that she could do a little bit better, she listens and then she does it."
At home in Brandon, Thomas relishes spending time with her husband and three children.
"Our boys (ages 12 and 9) are very active in sports. So, my husband and I joke, it's the summer for them, but I think it's even in higher gear for us because they're both playing Select baseball," she said. "And we have a 6-month-old baby girl, so she keeps us busy, too."
With her sons, "whatever season there is, that's what they're playing."
Thomas didn't set out to bust barriers.
"I started this whole thing just wanting to survive working a clock on my first high school game. And, the more I got involved in this, the more I truly enjoyed it and I had a passion for it."
"No matter what your gender is, or your race is or whatever, when you're doing something that you truly love and you have a passion for, don't do it for the recognition or set out for an ulterior motive.
"That's the biggest thing: I do it because I love it.
"I just take a lot of pride in being a part of the fraternity."
(Sherry Lucas of The Clarion-Ledger wrote this report.)

Pascagoula's Sarah Thomas officiates the Marshall and University of Memphis in 2010. The University of Mobile graduate and former Lady Rams basketball player is the first woman to be a referee for NCAA Division 1-A football games. ((Submitted))