Assignments
Shawn Smith is the referee for Super Bowl LX
Smith receives his first on-field Super Bowl assignment
Football Zebras has confirmed that Shawn Smith will be the referee for Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
This will be Smith’s first on-field Super Bowl assignment. He was the alternate referee for Super Bowls LV and LVIII.
This is Smith’s 11th postseason assignment, including 5 Wild Card Playoffs, 3 Divisional Playoffs and 2 Conference Championships. His first Conference Championship came in his third season — the earliest possible under assignment rules at the time — and he has been assigned to at least one playoff game every year he was eligible. (First-year officials and referees in their first season are ineligible.)
Smith is in his 11th season and 8th as referee.
Smith got started as a Pop Warner official in junior high school, and also officiated flag football at Eastern Michigan University. Smith was recruited to run track and play football at EMU before transferring to Ferris State University. During that time, he began to officiate high school football and skipped over Division III college football straight to Division II.
At the collegiate level, Smith officiated in Conference USA in 2009, the Mid-American Conference from 2009 to 2012 and the Big Ten Conference from 2012 to 2014. He worked at the back judge position during this time, and completed his first full season as a Big Ten referee in 2014, when the NFL came calling for the 2015 season. Smith worked the 2011 Armed Forces Bowl and the 2015 Senior Bowl while a college football official.
The NFL promoted him to the referee position in 2018 after referee Terry McAulay left the NFL to join NBC.
Smith, 54, is a corporate manager for a major health insurer in the Detroit metro area.
This postseason, Smith was the referee for the Texans-Patriots Divisional Playoff game in Foxborough.
| Yrs | 2025 crew | College | Occupation | Postseason exp:
WC
DIV
CC
SB
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 14 | Shawn Smith | 11 | Ferris State | finance |
5
3
2
|
|
| U | 81 | Roy Ellison | 23 | Hill | Savannah State | IT engineer | |
| DJ | 8 | Dana McKenzie | 18 | Moore | Toledo | claims adjuster | |
| LJ | 10 | Julian Mapp | 17 | Hill | Grambling State | software quality assurance tester |
5
3
2
|
| FJ | 72 | Jason Ledet | 3 | Hochuli | Nicholls State | physical therapy and rehabilitation |
2
|
| SJ | 103 | Eugene Hall | 12 | Cheffers | North Texas | federal agent | |
| BJ | 12 | Greg Steed | 23 | Hill | Howard | computer systems analyst | |
| RO | Andrew Lambert | 8 | Hussey | Central Virginia Community College | business development |
4
2
2
|
|
| RA | Julie Johnson | 3 | Kemp | Maryland | coordinator of intramural sports |
1
2
|
|
| ALT | R | Shawn Hochuli | 12 | Claremont | financial advisor |
1
8
1
|
|
| ALT | U | Terry Killens | 7 | Moore | Penn State | campus security specialist FORMER NFL PLAYER | |
| ALT | DJ | David Oliver | 9 | Eck | Baker | information systems manager |
2
3
1
|
| ALT | LJ | Tom Eaton | 6 | Moore | Central Florida | fiscal manager |
3
1
|
| ALT | FJ | Jabir Walker | 11 | Clark | Murray State | middle school teacher |
4
1
1
|
| ALT | SJ | Anthony Jeffries | 8 | Moore | Alabama-Birmingham | medical sales |
2
3
2
|
| ALT | BJ | Brad Freeman | 12 | Clark | Mississippi State | sports park director | |
| ALT | RO | Chad Adams | 7 | Blakeman | Cincinnati | operations |
Image: Designed by Ben Austro; Icon Sportswire; Matthew Roth via Flickr
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Anonymous
January 20, 2026 at 3:14 pm
Who are the Alternates
Anonymous
January 20, 2026 at 4:10 pm
It should not f been Alex Moore
Anonymous
January 20, 2026 at 5:14 pm
It should of been alex Moore
robert williams
January 21, 2026 at 10:27 am
congrats to Shawn Smith and the crew. All great people and deserving. Worked with all of them at some point in my career . Best of luck to all
bmitchelf
January 21, 2026 at 12:11 pm
Ellison is XLIII, not XLII. NFL updated their post.
Anonymous
January 21, 2026 at 3:27 pm
Is it normal that:
1) Five of the seven crew members – including referee Shawn Smith – worked the same divisional game (HOU-NE). And you can add both replay officials, Lambert and Johnson;
2) three of the alternates – Oliver, Eaton & Freeman – will work a conference championship game and none of the previous rounds. I thought all SB officials came from the divisional round;
3) Killens and Jeffries were also alternates during the divisonal round.
Can you comment on this? Thanks.
Jorge Molina
Anonymous
January 23, 2026 at 4:57 pm
I am a bit surprised at Bill Vinovitch’s absence from high stake games this year. Does anybody have perspectives to share on this matter?
Tom
January 25, 2026 at 3:47 pm
There was no doubt who was going to get the assignment, and I’m also surprised of Vinovich’s absence in the playoffs.
Anonymous
January 26, 2026 at 2:23 pm
I came here to ask about Bill Vinovich. That’s how I know I am watching a big game, seeing him doing the game.