On the back and left shoulder of every NFL game official is a key identifier \u2014 a uniform number. When officials join the league, assigning them a number is a very early order of business.<\/p>\n
The number \u2014 worn by NFL officials since 1942 \u2014 gives the official an identity beyond the black-and-white-striped shirt. Ask any NFL official and there will likely be a story on how he or she obtained the number or some other personal connection to the digits. It also serves as another way to know which official ruled on a particular play when assignment details are not readily available or recalled by memory.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know who\u2019s assigned to the game, but it does save a step,\u201d said Dean Blandino, NFL vice president of officiating from 2013-17. \u201cIf someone sent me a play, while I knew who was assigned to the game, it was immediate in identifying the official.\u201d<\/p>\n
Numbers worn in the NFL have included 1 all the way to 142, with some exceptions.
\nIn the first Super Bowl \u2014 then known as the NFL-AFL Championship Game \u2014 three officials represented each league. Each of the officials\u2019 numbers ended with 0 and the backups\u2019 numbers ended with 1. Thus, referee Norm Schachter was number 10, umpire George Young was number 20, head linesman Bernie Ullman wore number 30, line judge Al Sabato sported number 40, field judge Mike Lisetski was assigned number 50 and back judge Jack Reader was number 60.<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t always that simple.<\/p>\n
Beginning with the 1979 season, the NFL flirted with an eventual failed experiment \u2014 duplicate numbers assigned by position. That season, the NFL assigned numbers by position, predominantly from 3 through 20, excluding 13. So, with seven game officials across multiple positions, but not on the same regular-season crew, could there ever be a problem?<\/p>\n
In back-to-back Super Bowls, number 7 caused a problem for the NFL. Fred Silva and Al Conway both wore number 7 during the regular season and were assigned to Super Bowl XIV. Fortunately, Silva wore a black hat as the referee and Conway wore a white hat as the umpire, but they wore identical numbers during the game.<\/p>\n
Head linesman Tony Veteri Sr., line judge Tom Dooley, back judge Tom Kelleher and field judge Fritz Graf all wore number 7 during the 1980 season and were assigned to Super Bowl XV. Instead of doubling down on the previous year\u2019s debacle, Kelleher was the only number 7 during the game, based on his seniority. Veteri, Dooley and Graf were given different numbers for the game. Veteri wore 8, Dooley wore 10 and Graf wore 17.
\nThe experiment ultimately would be short-lived and most officials went back to unique numbers for the 1982 season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWE\u2019LL SAVE A SPOT FOR YOU\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Retired down judge Ed Camp wore number 134 and did so proudly despite stereotypes of it being a bottom-of-the-barrel, triple-digit number.<\/p>\n \u201cI was crushed,\u201d Camp said when he learned of his number assignment when he joined the league. \u201cBut it\u2019s grown on me.\u201d<\/p>\n Camp did not hold the highest number, however, as Pete Morelli sported number 135. Only field judge Dave Warden and back judge Perry Paganelli have worn higher numbers in the history of the league. Warden wore number 137 during the 1998 season before switching to number 27 for his final four seasons, while Paganelli wore number 142 in 1998 and switched to number 46 after that season.<\/p>\n Ed Camp (left), Robin DeLorenzo (right) sport triple-digit numbers.<\/p>\n As if to molify him, Camp was told 134 is only 100 digits away from longtime referee Gerald Austin (34), who was assigned to three Super Bowls.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll save a spot for you,\u201d Camp said he was told by college officiating peers when he told them his NFL number assignment. \u201cYou\u2019ll be back.\u201d<\/p>\n Camp, in the league since 2000, was assigned as the down judge for Super Bowl LIII \u2014 never returning to his former NCAA stomping grounds.<\/p>\n Now, after Camp\u2019s retirement at the end of the 2021 season \u2014 culminating with his third assignment as a Super Bowl alternate \u2014 Robin DeLorenzo wears number 134 after being hired into the NFL for the 2022 season.<\/p>\n DeLorenzo referenced Camp as her first mentor in the New Jersey Football Officials Association North (NJFOA) in a Facebook post when Camp was slated to work the 2022 AFC Championship game as the down judge \u2014 presumably his last assignment before being selected as a Super Bowl alternate two weeks later. DeLorenzo met Camp on the first night of her cadet class in an effort to become a high school football official in New Jersey.<\/p>\n \u201cThroughout my college career, there are always three calls that go out when I get a promotion or a special game: my parents, Tom (DeLorenzo\u2019s husband) and Ed Camp,\u201d DeLorenzo said in the post.<\/p>\n \u201cBetween the cadet classes every week where (Camp) would show us hours of film, to the study sessions, to coming to our games, to showing up to clinics to share his experiences. The man dedicated his whole life to football and making sure the NJFOA North (and other groups) had the most prepared officials around!\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n THE OFFICIAL BEFORE ME<\/strong><\/p>\n When Jerome Boger joined the NFL in 2004, he was fortunate enough to choose his number \u2014 initially picking number 109 from a batch of unassigned numbers. But another number caught his eye \u2014 23.<\/p>\n That\u2019s because it previously belonged to Johnny Grier, the NFL\u2019s first Black referee. Boger and Grier developed a bond and Boger shared a wish with Grier.<\/p>\n \u201cJG, when you retire, I want you to tell me so I can tell the office I\u2019d like your number,\u201d Boger said he told Grier in 2004.<\/p>\n Jerome Boger (right) paid homage to Johnny Grier by adopting Grier\u2019s no. 23.<\/p>\n Two years later, that wish came true when Boger wore number 23 beginning with the 2006 season. \u201cHe\u2019s always been special to me,\u201d Boger said of Grier.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen there is a request, we would certainly honor a request where we could,\u201d Blandino said of his tenure. That was not the case under all NFL officiating leaders, however, as others merely assigned numbers.<\/p>\n Blandino said the process is a bit \u201crandom.\u201d<\/p>\n Boger said he continues to enjoy his number as a tribute to Grier but said the number carries added meaning when talking with players.<\/p>\n He said he\u2019ll seek out players on the field wearing the same number as his during the pregame and share a moment, usually saying, \u201cI\u2019ve worn this number for 15 years. Hopefully, you can do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n That conversation, Boger said, is another avenue to have a human conversation with players before everything gets crazy.<\/p>\n Boger\u2019s son, Tra, was hired into the NFL for the 2022 season and wears number 2. Jerome and Tra become the first father-son duo to work in the NFL at the same time since Steve and Brad Freeman were onfield officials through the 2019 season. Steve Freeman opted out of the 2020 season and subsequently retired.<\/p>\n OFF LIMITS<\/strong><\/p>\n While no numbers have officially been retired by the NFL, some administrators have given certain numbers a \u201ccooling-off period\u201d after a retirement or transition.<\/p>\n When Al Riveron joined the league office after the 2012 season, Blandino said the league would not assign his former number 57 unless Riveron felt there was an official deserving. Since Riveron\u2019s departure from the field, number 57 had not been worn until the 2020 season, when it was assigned to field judge Joe Blubaugh.<\/p>\n That has not always been the case as referees like Jerry Markbreit and Jim Tunney, working a combined seven Super Bowls, did not see their numbers \u2014 9 and 32 respectively \u2014 put on hold.<\/p>\n For the longest time, numbers 1 and 13 were kept on the shelf. Under Blandino, then-incoming field judge and now referee Scott Novak was assigned number 1 and incoming down judge Patrick Turner was assigned number 13.<\/p>\n \u201cMy birthday is 13,\u201d Blandino said of his birthdate. \u201cIt hasn\u2019t been unlucky for me.\u201d ALL IN THE FAMILY<\/strong><\/p>\n A number of family members have been selected to officiate in the NFL \u2014 some concurrently and others years apart. Some family members have had the opportunity to honor their family history in the NFL by wearing a number \u201cin the family.\u201d<\/p>\n Walt Coleman spent his entire career as number 65. When Walt IV joined the league in 2015, he wore number 87. But following Walt\u2019s retirement after the 2018 season, Walt IV was able to change to number 65, which continued a family tradition dating back to 1989 \u2014 the longest such streak in NFL history.<\/p>\n The Baynes family has a similar legacy, but not continuous. Former side judge and line judge Ron Baynes wore number 56 throughout his career. When Baynes\u2019 career came to a close after the 2000 season, number 56 sat vacant until 2008. That\u2019s when Allen Baynes, Ron\u2019s son, joined the NFL and number 56 became a perfect fit.<\/p>\n But when Rusty Baynes, Ron\u2019s other son joined the league in 2010 as a line judge, he was out of luck, since Allen already captured the \u201cfamily number.\u201d Rusty secured a nearby number, 59.<\/p>\n Jim Quirk Sr. spent more than 20 years in the NFL as a line judge and umpire wearing number 5. But in the 2009 season, with Quirk no longer in the league, John McGrath switched from number 120 to 5.<\/p>\n That led to an interesting conversation when Jim Quirk Jr. was hired into the league. Initially, Quirk Jr. wore number 63, but toward the end of McGrath\u2019s career. McGrath said to Quirk Jr., \u201cWhen I retire, you should take this number back.\u201d<\/p>\n And that\u2019s exactly what happened. Quirk Jr. has worn number 5 since the beginning of the 2017 season, when McGrath left the field.<\/p>\n The post Take a Number<\/a> appeared first on Referee.com<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What\u2019s in a number? You\u2019d be surprised how some NFL officials wound up with their uniform numbers, and the history behind those identifying digits. On the back and left shoulder of every NFL game official is a key identifier \u2014 a uniform number. When officials join the league, assigning them a number is a very […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1655","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aafoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/1655"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aafoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aafoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aafoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/1655\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aafoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aafoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aafoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nSixty-nine, however, remains off limits allegedly due to its sexual connotations.<\/p>\n