By: Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
AL.com 

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - The words slipped out of Tangela Mitchell's mouth before she knew it.

A male friend had invited the former high school athlete to start officiating. Mitchell was initially receptive to the idea, until he clarified he was talking about her officiating football.

"'Women don't do that.' That was immediately out my mouth, before I even knew it," she recalled. "'Women don't do that.'"

But at least one woman did and Mitchell's friend emailed her video of Sabrina

Brunson when she became a football official in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

"From that video, I was sold," Mitchell said. "I was like, 'I'm doing this. I don't know who she is but I want to meet her one day. I'm doing this."

Women officials in college football are somewhat rare. The sight of more than one is uncommon.

Thursday at 6 p.m., fans at Albert J. Sloan-Alumni Stadium in Fairfield will see something that reportedly has never happened before when the Miles Golden Bears host Lane College - four women on the seven-member crew officiating the game.

Mitchell, who was born in Birmingham, will be joined by Brunson, Yvonda Lewis and Krystle Apellaniz in making history, according to the man who assigned the officials for the contest. Two will be on the line of scrimmage as the head linesman and the line judge, and two will be in the back position as a back judge and a field judge.

"This is the first time this has ever, ever happened," said Harold Mitchell, the supervisor of officials in the SIAC and Southwestern Athletic Conference. "It's never happened in college football - Division I, II, III or the BCS.

"It's historical. It's historical," said Mitchell, who is not related to the aforementioned crew member. "As a matter of fact, I'm not sure there's been more than two and I think that was another game that I assigned. If you look at the major conferences, there are probably two or three major conferences that have one or two female officials on their staff."

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