Says Who Sports with John Dauphin
Says Who Sports cuts through the media noise and manufactured controversy to deliver for fans authentic, smart, and candid analysis of college and professional sports. The podcast is hosted by John Dauphin, who has interviewed and written about numerous sports legends including Bob Knight, Bobby Bowden, Roy Williams, and Roger Clemens. Dauphin believes sports media has become a mess, a rush by reporters to the digital finish line in a desperate search for clicks, with little regard for truth or context. Join John and his co-host, Phil Dauphin, a former professional baseball player who had a game-winning hit for the Chicago Cubs, for fresh perspective and unique insight on the stories that matter.
Listen to Says Who Sports and talk a better game!
Says Who Sports with John Dauphin
Episode 35: Sarah Thomas, Longtime NFL Official, Visits with Says Who Sports
NFL Official Sarah Thomas, who worked Super Bowl LV and has been in the league for a decade, visits with Says Who Sports to share her thoughts on a variety of topics, including the Philadelphia Eagles blowout of the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Thomas says that, aside from Super Bowl-specific preparation, NFL game officials prepare for battle year-round, including multiple offseason clinics and constant rules/situational testing by the league. Thomas details the hectic atmosphere of her Down Judge positioning along the line of scrimmage during a game, including the requisite ability for unwavering focus and execution on every play.
Thomas, a former college athlete, recalls her disdain for game officials as a player, and discusses the newfound understanding and respect she gained for the job after attending her first-ever officials meeting at the local amateur sports level in her native Pascagoula, Mississippi. The meeting fueled her interest in officiating and launched a career that has now spanned three decades, including many years as an official in D1 college football in Conference USA and being selected to work multiple bowl games and Senior Bowls.
She has worked numerous high-profile NFL contests including Monday Night Football, multiple playoff games and Super Bowl LV between the Chiefs and Buccaneers. Thomas talks about the excitement of receiving word from legendary NFL official Wayne Mackie that she’d earned the honor of officiating in Super Bowl LV, and the emotion of sharing the news with her parents.
Thomas also discusses the inspirational impact made on her by Jill Upton, her aunt and the coach of the U.S. Women’s Basketball team at the World University Games in Moscow in 1973 (the team included a young player named Pat Summitt). Upton encouraged Thomas, who loved playing basketball, to try out for the fifth-grade boys basketball team because there was no girls’ team at the time. Thomas made the squad. She went on to play college basketball at the University of Mobile.
Thomas has blazed an inspirational trail en route to becoming an official at the highest level of professional sports, and discusses the strong foundation of faith, work ethic and accountability (no excuses) instilled in her and her siblings by her parents. Plus, much more!