In 2015, Sarah Thomas became the first full-time female official in NFL history, and during the 2018 postseason she was the first female to officiate an NFL playoff game when she took the field for a Divisional Round matchup between the Patriots and the Chargers. A Mississippi native, Thomas played college basketball at a small school in Alabama before becoming a football official. She refereed at the high school level and then advanced to officiate NCAA games, where she became a groundbreaking figure as the first woman to referee a major college game, to work a bowl game, and to officiate a game in a Big Ten stadium. Thomas decided to become a referee when, several years ago, she was on the phone with her brother, who mentioned that he was headed to an officials meeting. “Can girls do that?” she asked. “I guess so,” her brother responded.