Jim Quirk Sr. to retire as NFLRA boss

Jim Quirk Sr., NFL officiating veteran and executive director of the NFL Referees Association, the officials union, is retiring from his post, according to an Associated Press report.

Quirk has been executive director since 2013.

Former NFL referee and  former president of the NFLRA, Scott Green, will replace Quirk. Green was NFLRA president before current president Jeff Triplette succeeded Green. 

Quirk told the AP:

I am very happy that Scott will succeed me. I’ve been blessed to have had the opportunity to serve the NFLRA membership for over 12 years.

Quirk’s son, Jim Quirk Jr., is currently a back judge in the NFL.

Just this past spring, the NFLRA rank-and-file voted to keep Quirk as executive director after there was some speculation that he wouldn’t continue in the post.

Quirk, a 21-year line judge and umpire, was known as a bulldog on the field (video), and, no doubt it was a reputation that secured his appointment in 2013 after the retirement of Tim Millis. Quirk’s appointment came the year after the officials were locked out by the NFL during collective bargaining.

That bulldog persona was on display in his tenure at the NFLRA as Quirk aggressively defended the officials publicly. 

While Quirk’s statements courted controversy with the league, some of his recent comments got him sideways with some NFLRA members. Quirk publicly criticized Terry McAulay’s crew last year after several skirmishes between Odell Beckham Jr., Josh Norman, and Courtland Finnegan. McAulay resigned from the NFLRA. 

Counting his officiating days, Quirk, 76, has been associated with NFL officiating since 1988. He worked Super Bowl XXXII, the Packers-Broncos classic.

Green officiated in the NFL from 1991-2013 as a back judge and referee. He worked three Super Bowls.

The current NFLRA collective bargaining agreement runs through 2019, which was negotiated in part by Green.

Congratulations to Quirk on his career and best wishes to Green in his new role.