No. 70 will never be worn again by an official The NFL made history this weekend at its officiating clinic in Dallas, as it announced that it will retire the number 70 jersey in honor of former NFL referee and supervisor of officials, Jerry Seeman. Seeman worked Super Bowls XXIII and XXV as a referee,…
With 12 vacancies filled in the last few months, how will the NFL approach filling a 13th spot after the resignation of referee Mike Carey? The NFL could hire another official from college, persuade a recently retired official to come back for one more season, or they could go with 118 officials this year and…
Brad Allen is the first official in almost 50 years to be placed in the referee position in his first NFL season.
We know the NFL officiating roster for 2014. The names have been announced, but one position assignment caught my attention. Brad Allen, a collegiate referee and who worked the 2013 NFL preseason as a back judge in the advanced training program, will work his rookie season as an umpire. Could this be the new way the NFL…
This post has been updated to reflect changes in the 2014 officiating staff after the initial announcement. The NFL has announced its 2014 roster of officials (full list below after the jump). The roster features 12 new hires. Earlier we reported that 11 officials were not going to return to the field for 2014. Field…
May 15 is a significant date for NFL officials. It is the first day that the NFL starts communicating with their men in stripes. As part of the union’s collective bargaining agreement, the NFL does not communicate with officials from January 1 to May 15 of each year (with the exception of playoff assignment communications),…
Modern communications makes position redundant The NFL has discontinued its game observer program starting for the 2014 season. Retired NFL officials usually filled these positions. The eight game observers were informed that their services were no longer required after the 2013 season. Don Carlsen is a former NFL side judge who retired after the 2012…
Veteran’s move leaves 11 vacancies for 2014 Football Zebras exclusive Football Zebras can report that umpire Garth DeFelice will leave the field and become one of the regional supervisors for the officiating office. The supervisors have traditionally been the graders that evaluate the game tapes for accuracy in the officials’ calls. This position used to…
There will be at least 10 officials who will will not return to the field in 2014. At the end of the season, five officials were confirmed to be retiring. A few weeks later, Football Zebras was first to report that Ron Winter had retired. We now know that head linesman Mark Baltz, back judge…
21 advanced training officials include 7 from ’13 taxi squad The NFL has released the names of the college officials who will participate in the 2014 advanced training program. The list includes two women: Sarah Thomas returns for a second year and Maia Chaka joins the program for her first year. What is interesting about…