Officiating the Super Bowl
The National Football League announced the officials for Super Bowl 50 last week. Referee Clete Blakeman will lead the seven-person crew of game officials selected to work the game played this Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
The other members of the Super Bowl 50 officiating crew are Jeff Rice (umpire), Wayne Mackie (head linesman), Rusty Banes (line judge), Boris Check (field judge), Scott Edwards (side judge), and Keith Ferguson (back judge).
Collectively, the Super Bowl 50 officiating crew has 97 years of NFL officiating experience and 62 combined playoff game assignments.
A playoff assignment is always a feather in the cap of an NFL official. The reward of being selected to work a postseason game symbolizes being in the upper echelon of all on field officials and validates the thousands of hours of preparation each official commits to perfect their craft.
This harkens the question, who has officiated in the most championship game in NFL history? That honor belongs to Tom Kelleher who worked 16 championship games as a back judge in the NFL from 1960 until 1991.
During his decades of service to the game, Kelleher officiated in four NFL Championship games, seven NFC Championship games, and five Super Bowls.
Here is an all-time list of all NFL officials who have worked 10 or more championship games.
| OFFICIAL | Position | NFL Championship | AFL Championship | NFC Championship | AFC Championship | Super Bowls | Total |
| Tom Kelleher | BJ | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 16 |
| Ron Gibbs | R | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Tony Veteri | U-HL | 0 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 15 |
| Ron Botchan | U | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 13 |
| Charlie Berry | HL | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Joe Connell | U | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| Fritz Graf | FJ | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| Ed Marion | HL | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| Jerry Markbreit | R | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| Bruce Alford | LJ | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 11 |
| Byron Boston | LJ | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| Bob Boylston | U | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| Carl Paganelli | U | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 11 |
| Jim Tunney | R | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| Tommy Bell | R | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| Bill Carollo | SJ-R | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| Al Conway | U | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| Don Hakes | SJ-FJ-BJ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
| Ed Hochuli | R | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
| Stan Javie | BJ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| Al Jury | BJ-FJ | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 10 |
| Terry McAulay | SJ-R | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Jim Poole | BJ | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME HONORS NATIONAL CHAMPION MOUNT UNION
GOLD JACKET FLOYD LITTLE AND NFL LEGEND CHRIS SPIELMAN INSPIRE PURPLE RAIDERS
Northeast Ohio Skunk Earns Stripes in “Puppy Bowl XII”
Tank, a domestic skunk, will assist as the “rufferee” and call the shots in “Puppy Bowl XII,” which will air on Animal Planet this Sunday, Feb. 3 at 3 PM ET.