All-Black Female Officiating Crew Works Mississippi Game

Twelve women from across Mississippi made history during the Murrah-Cleveland Central matchup on August 26 as the first known all-Black female football officiating crew.

Adrienne Barnes led the crew of 12 which consisted of fellow on-field officials Sarah Fleming, Sherri Vaughans, Fran Adams, Felicia Davis, Alona Alexander and Dominique Sutton. Clock operators Phylicia Cotton and Constance Clark and line-to-gain equipment operators Tamika Lipsey, Timika Morris and Charmaine Smith rounded out the crew.

The game marked the state’s first all-female crew as well, inspired by previous crews in Oregon and Texas last season.

“It’s amazing and it’s overwhelming at the same time,” Barnes told The Clarion Ledger ahead of the game. “It means a lot to me having been around for 19 years and going through different excuses for women not being on the field, to seeing an all-female crew is absolutely amazing.

“This is our first time working all together on the field. We’ve known each other. We’ve worked together in other sports, but never on the field. Typically, they never have more than one female on the field.”

The on-field crew had five officials from the Jackson area, one from Brookhaven and the other from northern Mississippi.

Leading up to the game, Barnes lead several Zoom meetings with the crew after plans for the game were finalized by Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Assignor Curtis Lowe.

“I trust them to go out there and do a good job,” Lowe told The Clarion Ledger ahead of the game. “That’s the main thing. Go out there and work the game, do what they do and have fun doing it.”

Greg Freeman, MHSAA assistant director, told The Clarion Ledger that nearly 50 women are officiating high school football in Mississippi.

“I think it goes to show that we don’t discriminate against anyone,” he said.

“The game was exciting,” Cleveland Central Head Football Coach Kendrick Woodard told The Bolivar Bullet. “The environment of the game was electric, and it was a great crowd on both sides. The fans from Cleveland showed up. The Mississippi High School Activities Association did a great job of putting that officiating crew together. To be a part of that for the first time in history was amazing. My coaches and my players thought the women did a great job of controlling and managing the game.”

That exciting game ended in a shootout with Cleveland Central squeaking out a 49-45 win — despite turning the ball over five times.