Boris Cheek and Rick Patterson join the exclusive ’30 Club’

As the league is set to kick off its 106th season, two veteran officials are about to join an exclusive club of which less than 10 men have membership. Side judge Boris Cheek and field judge Rick Patterson are each officiating their 30th NFL season in 2025, joining the illustrious officiating “30 Club.”

Cheek, 67, and Patterson, 66, were both hired by the NFL in 1996, as part of a class of 6 officials hired that also included Walt Anderson and Mike Pereira. They both work at deep wing positions, having swapped sides of the field multiple times throughout their careers. Between the two of them, they have worked over 900 NFL games, including 46 postseason games.

They never worked on the same crew until 2021, where for 3 seasons, they worked opposite each other on Brad Allen’s crew as the most-experienced deep wing tandem in NFL officiating history.

Cheek took an unusual path to officiating in the NFL, not having any college football experience. His work in the Canadian Football League and NFL Europe were stops on his meteoric rise to the pinnacle of football officiating. He has worked on crews led by 13 different referees and has been recognized as a mentor to many deep officials he has worked with over the years.

Cheek has officiated 22 postseason games, including 7 Wild Card Playoffs, 7 Divisional Playoffs, 4 Conference Championships, and Super Bowls XLII, 50, LIV, and LIX. He is the sole record holder for most games officiated, with 465 total NFL games (excluding preseason and Pro Bowls) entering the 2025 season.

Patterson began his officiating career in 1980 at the high school level, later ascending to the college ranks and working in the Southern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Like Cheek, Patterson also officiated in NFL Europe. He is known for his unique touchdown signal, where he faces his palms forward when extending his raised arms.

Patterson has officiated 24 postseason games, including 9 Wild Card Playoffs, 9 Divisional Playoffs, 3 Conference Championships, and Super Bowls XXXVII, XXXIX, and LVI. He is also tied for third place with retired line judge Jeff Bergman, another 30 Club member, with 456 total NFL games officiated entering this year. He will move into second place by himself this season, as he will inevitably surpass former referee Walt Coleman’s mark of 460 games.

Among active officials, down judge Tom Stephan is next in line in seniority, followed by referee Carl Cheffers. Stephan and Cheffers are entering their 27th and 26th seasons, respectively. They, along with Cheek and Patterson, are the only remaining NFL officials hired by the late former senior director of officiating Jerry Seeman.

Officials who worked 30 NFL seasons

With assistance of our partner website Quirky Research, we believe we have the comprehensive list of NFL officials who worked at least 30 seasons.

Previously, we listed head linesman Dan Tehan as having the longest tenure, which was initially established as 35 seasons when Tehan died in 1980. “He was an official for us from 1930 to 1964 — 35 seasons — and no one ever officiated longer,” said Art McNally, the head of the officiating department at the time. The Pro Football Hall of Fame lists Tehan with 31 seasons in its officiating exhibit, subtracting four years during World War II. Quirky Research has since established that Tehan worked in other pro leagues in the early 1930s, which reduced his NFL tenure to less than 30 seasons, so we have removed his name from our list.

Referees Ben Dreith and Jim Tunney had a parallel career arc, with Dreith starting in the American Football League’s inaugural season and Tunney in the NFL’s 41st. Both retired following the 1990 season, their 31st, although Dreith was apparently not ready to retire, but did so after being demoted to line judge in his final season. (Dreith won an age discrimination settlement from the NFL.)

Many officials view back judge Stan Javie, who took the field from 1951 to 1980, as “the best official ever,” citing his rule book knowledge and his ability to read plays quickly.

Umpire Lou Palazzi, in his 30-year tenure, was renowned for his hustle. He knew the game well and was a center for the New York Giants from 1946-47. Palazzi helped break in Tunney as referee, a fellow “30 Club” member. Palazzi and Tunney worked together for three years in the late 1960s.

Head linesman Jerry Bergman retired after his 30th season in 1995. One of his sons, Jeff, reached the milestone in 2022, also retiring in his 30th season. Between the Bergmans, referee Walt Coleman retired in his 30th season in 2018. Coleman is the third at the referee position to reach 30 seasons.

A few that did not make the list: side judge Dean Look was assigned to start his 30th season, but triple-bypass heart surgery forced him into retirement right before the season started. There were also some officials that worked NFL games in the 1920s, finishing up in the 1950s, but worked exclusively for some seasons in the vastly more popular college circuit in the 1930s.

*includes NFL Championship games from 1958-65, AFL Championship games 1960-65, and only Super Bowls 1966-present. Positions and numbers shown are those that represent the majority of each official’s career. Includes AFL, excludes USFL. Sources: Professional Football Researchers Association, Football Zebras/Quirky Research.

Graphic and photo by Ben Austro/Football Zebras