The NFL has the same officiating crews working together each game during the regular season, but that changes in the playoffs. The officials for postseason games, including the Super Bowl, are selected and assigned based on how they perform in the regular season.
This process creates a situation where officials will work with each other for the first time during the season. Referee Bill Vinovich will have one member from his regular season crew, line judge Mark Perlman.
Bill Vinovich’s Career as a Referee
This is Vinovich’s third Super Bowl assignment in his 18th year as an on-field NFL official. He’s been a referee for 15 seasons after being a side judge and a back judge for the first three years.
Vinovich spent five seasons from 2007 to 2011 as a replay official after an aortic dissection kept him from being able to work on the field. He was able to return to the field for the 2012 season after surgery to replace part of his aorta.
Vinovich was the referee for Super Bowl LIV, the first time the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs met in a Super Bowl.
Vinovich was the referee for a controversial call in January 2019. He led the crew that worked the NFC Championship Game when a pass interference call was missed against the Los Angeles Rams, giving a first down to the New Orleans Saints.
If the call had been made, New Orleans would have been able to kick a go-ahead FG in the final seconds instead of with 1:45 left in the fourth quarter. The Rams were able to tie the game with a late field goal and win the game with a field goal in overtime.
Super Bowl Officials
- Umpire: Terry Killens (First Super Bowl)
- Down Judge: Patrick Holt (First Super Bowl)
- Line Judge: Mark Perlman (Third Super Bowl)
- Field Judge: Tom Hill (Third Super Bowl)
- Side Judge: Allen Baynes (First Super Bowl)
- Back Judge: Brad Freeman (First Super Bowl)
- Replay Official: Mike Chase (Second Super Bowl)
Terry Killens, who has been an official since 2019, will be the first person to play in a Super Bowl and be an official for the Super Bowl. He played for the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV against the St. Louis Rams. Killens made a tackle on a punt return during the game. He played seven seasons in the NFL as a linebacker, including 16 games with the San Francisco 49ers in 2001 and 2002.
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Vinovich, Mark Perlman, and Tom Hill were on the crew for Super Bowl XLI when the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks after the 2014 season.
Vinovich, Perlman, and Brad Freeman worked together last month for the NFC Divisional Round contest between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions.
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