The NFL has added a second female official to its official roster for 2021. Mia Bauka, who joins Super Bowl 55 judge Sarah Thomas, will make history on her own as the first black woman to commit games in the league.
The announcement was made exclusively on NBC’s “The Today Show” on Friday morning. Chaka, who spent seven years in the NFL’s offcasting development program, was overwhelmed by the news of his March 1 promotion from college football games working in the Pac-12 Conference.
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“It really hadn’t hit me yet,” Chaka said “Today.” “When I saw the introduction, I’m like, ‘This is really real,’ because it’s just the thing we’re taught to work hard forever. Sometimes we just stop ourselves And don’t take time to sniff. Rose. … I’ve just been grinding for so long, it’s just an honor to be able to join the National Football League. “
While Chaka can’t wait to work, here’s what you should know about him:
What is Maya Chaka’s non-NFL job?
Chaka, a 2006 graduate of Norcolk State University, is a high school health and physical education teacher who is part of the public school system at Renaissance Academy, Virginia Beach. When she was 32 in the summer of 2014, she was one of 21 referees selected for the NFL’s offseasoning development program. She was one of two women selected – the other was Thomas, a Hills from Brandon, Miss.
“There were a couple of scouts around in the area and they saw me progressing as an officer during my college career,” Chaka told The Virginian-Pilot seven years ago. “And based on my performance in college, they invited me to be a part of the program.”
At the time, Dean Blandino’s then-NFL vice president of the executive drew high praise on Chaka, saying he “had a great understanding of the game.” Also in the article, Blandino expressed confidence that Chaka would move faster through the program, just as Thomas did.
“Maia has just climbed the ladder,” Blandino said then. “He has shown progress at every level. We look forward to him continuing his career to move forward.”
Mia Chaka realizes that her achievement is groundbreaking
Chaka is well aware that it is important for the NFL to continue to open doors for greater diversity in its functions, functioning and otherwise.
“I am honored to be selected as an NFL official,” Chaka said in a statement released by the league. “But this moment is greater than a personal achievement. I am an achievement for all women, my community and my culture.”
There is also the importance of rewarding Chaka over Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations.
“Maya’s years of hard work, dedication and perseverance – as part of the NFL offending development program – have earned her a position,” Vincent said in a statement. “As we celebrate Women’s History Month, Maia is a trailblazer as the first black female officer and inspires us to normalize women on the football field.”
How has Maia Chaka’s previous experience been?
Chaka and Thomas made history together for Conference USA as two female officers of the same crew for the 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco.
Chaka served as the head lineman for the Pac-12 games last season. His most recent assignment in that capacity was for the NFL Scouts in an All-Star Game, 2021 Rezus Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., On January 30.
He was named an offensive contingent in the short-lived XFL revival in 2020, after working with the Alliance for American Football Games in 2019. Developmental program.
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