Here’s how an all-female officiating crew will make history at Texas HS football game
A select group of women will make U.S. history in Texas come July.
The Football Division of the Texas Association announced in a news release Tuesday that the Texas High School Sixman Coach’s Association Division All Star Game will have an all-female crew of officials on July 17 at Wichita Falls Memorial Stadium.
The officiating crew will be led by Crystal Cooksey of the Dallas Football Officials Association, who made history in January when she was the first woman official to work a Texas state championship, specifically at the 1A Division II State Championship game.
“Not ever have I had an ill word to me about being a female official,” Cooksey told WFAA at the time of that event. “It’s actually quite the opposite.”
Rounding out the crew at the Sixman Coach’s All-Star Game with Cooksey will be the following:
Jenifer Calhoun – Umpire – Waco Football Chapter
Rachel Stepien – Head Line Judge – Austin Football Officials Association
Amy Smith – Line Judge – Fort Worth Football Officials
Valerie McIntosh – Back Judge – Austin Football Officials Association
“Having been an assignor for several years and making thousands of game assignments, being able to assign this all-female crew tops the list as the most rewarding assignment I have made,” said Jason Hickey, TASO Sixman All-Star Game Supervisor of Officials, in the news release.
TASO officials said the women have worked more than 200 games between them, along with semi-professional and collegiate football officiating experience.
“This simply illustrates that TASO is only interested in recruiting and training quality officials”, TASO Executive Director Michael Fitch said. “We are not concerned with anyone’s gender, ethnicity, or any other classification you want to use. If you can officiate, we’re glad to have you”.
Female officials have been making their way into the sports history books in football divisions across the board. In January, Sarah Thomas became the first woman to officiate a Super Bowl. Thomas worked as a down judge between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, McClatchy News reported.
This story was originally published June 29, 2021 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Here’s how an all-female officiating crew will make history at Texas HS football game."