The NFL’s Super Bowl is just a mere couple of weeks away with four teams left to duke it out for the right to play in the game. The Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs are set to square off on the AFC side, while the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions are set to battle on the NFC side.
The action on the field is still to be determined to figure out who the best teams are that will play in the game. However, the NFL has announced who the best team of officials is, headlined by Bill Vinovich and the rest of the crew that will officiate the game.
Referee Bill Vinovich Makes Triumphant Return to Super Bowl
The NFL picks the officials who will represent the league in the Super Bowl strictly by merit. The factors that go into an official being selected for the game are based on a combination of the referee’s grade during the season, his seniority, and his past postseason assignments.
With that, news of Bill Vinovich being named the head official for this year’s game was released on Tuesday afternoon, and it is a triumphant story for the veteran official to get back to this point.
Vinovich started his NFL officiating journey in 2001 as a side judge and was promoted to referee in 2004. However, three years later in 2007, Vinovich suffered an aortic dissection during the offseason and was no longer medically cleared to continue his on-field work as an official.
From there Vinovich spent the next five seasons working as a replay official, keeping him involved but off the field.
However, in 2012 he had surgery to replace part of his aorta, and as a result, he was able to get back on the field as an official once again. From there on, he has been back on the field in his customary role and has since earned an opportunity to be back on the biggest stage the game has to offer.
This will be the third Super Bowl Vinovich will be a part of after first officiating Super Bowl XLIX and Super Bowl LIV.
Other Officials Assigned to Super Bowl
It won’t be just Vinovich out on the field for the big game, he will have an all-star crew with him as well.
The umpire for the upcoming Super Bowl will be Terry Killens; Killens will be appearing in his first-ever Super Bowl as an official. The down judge will be manned by Patrick Holt who will also be making his first appearance in the Super Bowl.
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Both the line judge and field judge spots will be manned by officials with three Super Bowl appearances a piece, with Mark Perlman and Tom Hill holding down the positions respectively.
The side judge position will be Allen Baynes in his first Super Bowl followed by back judge Brad Freeman in his first as well. The group is rounded out by the replay official Mike Chase who will be making his second appearance in the Super Bowl.
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