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On Sept. 6, Catherine "Cat" Conti will become the first female official in a Big 12 game.
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby announced that Conti will work the Kansas-Southeast Missouri game during his address at Big 12 Media Days in Dallas.
"She is not there because she is a female. She is there because she's paid her dues and because she is a really outstanding football official," Bowlsby said Monday. "This is a good opportunity for her and a good opportunity for us, and I don't think you'll really notice much about how the officiating is done on the game. But it's significant that she's doing it."
Conti has been an official since 2000, working up the ladder from local high school games to the Southland Conference and Mountain West. She is set to be a full-time MW official during the 2014 season.
According to USA Today Sports, Conti says her "ultimate dream" is to officiate a game in the NFL. As for Sept. 6, Kansas coach Charlie Wies said he will watch his language on the sideline.
"I'll try to watch my language," Weis told USA Today's George Schroeder. "I believe in the old-fashioned way, so I'll try not to use as many bad words. But it means nothing to me. It's great that a woman is put in a position where whey can be put on equal footing with the men, and if I said other than that, I'd be in trouble with my wife.
"So more power to her."
