Super Bowl 50 referee Clete Blakeman has lead a relatively obscure existence in the NFL, with an occasional reference here, although I’ve even admitted in the past to be “riding high on the Clete Blakeman bandwagon.” The first sign that something was piquing the interest of fans on Sunday was when our post “Who will…
Before Al Jury and Bob Beeks were assigned to five Super Bowls. Before Johnny Grier was promoted to referee. Before Mike Carey headed a Super Bowl crew. Before all of them, one man blazed a trail for them. Burl Toler. In 1965, the NFL hired Burl Toler into the NFL as a head linesman, the…
View image | gettyimages.com Most famous referee of the 1980s and 1990s turns 80 years old Before there was Ed Hochuli, there was Jerry Markbreit. The former NFL referee from 1976 to 1998 turned 80 years old today. Markbreit got his start officiating while a college student at the University of Illinois. He officiated intramural…
View image | gettyimages.com Referee overcomes life threatening illness and long layoff You might excuse Bill Vinovich if he feels a little extra emotional on Sunday. Eight years ago, the thought of working a Super Bowl was the last thing on the referee’s mind. In April 2007, Vinovich’s goal was to survive for 48 hours.…
Brad Allen works his first-ever NFL game as a referee Referee Brad Allen (number 122) made history this past Sunday as he worked his first-ever game in the NFL at the referee position. His first game was at Soldier Field in Chicago, as the Bears hosted the Buffalo Bills. He’s jokingly referred to as the “double rookie” by…
Four new hires have collegiate referee experience Football Zebras has learned the names of five more college officials hired by the NFL, and that there will be a total of eleven new officials in 2014. Alex Kemp, Brad Allen, Scott Novak, Bryan Neale and Brad Freeman have been hired by the NFL according to various sources.…
Football Zebras has learned that two officials in today’s game will end their careers on football’s greatest stage. Field judge Scott Steenson and side judge Dave Wyant, both in their 23rd NFL season, intend to retire at the end of the 2013 season, according to two sources with knowledge of their plans. Steenson is working…
Amy Seeman collected a group of tweets, stories, and articles on Storify. With her permission, we share her curated work here.
Commentary by Mark Schultz Here are the things I am pondering as I “zebra watch” this year. 1. Will some high-profile officials make a playoff comeback? Gene Steratore, Ed Hochuli, John Parry, Tom Stabile, John McGrath, Rob Vernatchi, and Walt Anderson missed out on an on-field playoff assignment in 2012. Will they make a playoff…
