NFL announces Super Bowl 55 refs, including Sarah Thomas a first woman to officiate Super Bowl

The NFL announced the crew of officials that will handle Super Bowl 55 on February 7, 2021. Carl Cheffers will serve as the referee and effectively the crew chief. This is his second Super Bowl and he has officiated 17 career playoff games.

The most notable name for the Super Bowl officiating team is down judge Sarah Thomas. She will be the first woman to officiate in a Super Bowl. Thomas has officiated four playoff games in her six seasons as an NFL official.

Here is the full list of officials for the 2021 Super Bowl featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Each is the highest rated for their position over the course of the 2020 season. The league will add replay officials as well.

• Carl Cheffers - Referee
• Fred Bryan - Umpire
• Sarah Thomas - Down Judge
• Rusty Baynes - Line Judge
• James Coleman - Field Judge
• Eugene Hall - Side Judge
• Dino Paganelli - Back Judge
• Mike Wimmer - Replay Official