NFL’s first female referee tells Omnibus series audiences ‘Prove to yourself that you belong where you are’

As the National Football League's first female official-and the first to work a playoff game and then a Super Bowl-Sarah Thomas could have come to Purdue University Fort Wayne on Tuesday with an understandable female-first message. She actually aimed quite a bit higher.

Thomas used her Omnibus Speaker Series appearance to convince everyone in the room, not just the females, that they could achieve their dreams. She regaled with her insight into the hyper-male world of pro football, but not because she broke through as a female. Her story was much more personal, saying she broke through for herself, and uses that as proof that anyone can achieve anything.

"My message is not just for girls and women," Thomas said shortly after being introduced by Purdue Fort Wayne women's basketball coach Maria Marchesano. "I'm also raising two young men."

While preparing for her 10th NFL season, continually taking rules tests, working on her training regimen, and finding time to parent three children, Thomas, 50, also works at a marketing agency.

Thomas spoke three times while on the PFW campus with a command and belief that resonated with the different audiences.

Thomas never set out to be the first, she just fell in love with something that wasn't the norm. She wanted to achieve the highest individual level she could, not to be the first female to make it to the NFL. She wanted to prove her ability, and rarely worried about those who didn't believe in her. She didn't need them.

"Prove to yourself that you belong where you are because if you go through life trying to prove people wrong, there will always be a line later," Thomas said. "Once you check them off, there will be another person in line, and you will exhaust yourself. Focus on you."

Asked if her hiring was about diversity and a positive public relations push, Thomas responded, "I definitely think that was something that was considered, but I can tell you the longevity is not based on my gender. I wouldn't be here if it was only based on my gender. And I wouldn't want to be here if it was based on that."

Quite simply, Thomas refused to let some challenging obstacles stop her climb, something she shared with students during an exclusive classroom session in the afternoon. More than anything, she sounded like a life coach, and the students absorbed every word. She encouraged them to put in the work and never be afraid to fail, because that is always the best time to learn, correct, and move ahead.

"That work ethic, that attitude, how you carry yourself, and your field presence, that recognition will come," Thomas said. "Don't do things for the recognition, do them because you love them. If you are doing something because you love it, the people you thought you had to prove things to will fall by the wayside, and you don't need them in your life anyways. They will fall behind you based on your merit."

Before taking the field at Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida, in 2021, Thomas said she took a sharpie and wrote the name of every person who helped her along the way on her skin so they would be present under her uniform. That was also the first NFL game with her three children present, and her favorite memory had nothing to do with anything that happened during the game. It was spending time with them on the field afterward.

"Don't ever stop believing in what you are doing," Thomas told the students. "Always know you are unstoppable and keep pursuing what you are doing."

She also encouraged the students to find mentors who can serve as role models, help when they fail, and also believe in them.

The Omnibus Speaker Series at Purdue Fort Wayne is made possible in part due to the support of the English-Bonter-Mitchell Foundation, which has sponsored every season since the series launched in 1995.

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss will complete the 2023-24 Omnibus season on April 25. For more information on the speakers-and the series itself-visit PFW.edu/omnibus.

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