When we turn on that TV every Thursday, Sunday, and Monday from September to February during the Autumn, we expect to see an exciting showdown between two NFL teams with high expectations. We love to see our favorite stars, from Patrick Mahomes and Christian McCaffrey to our teams’ head coaches, to emergency third quarterbacks, and to the players that were just activated off the practice squad. However, during the game, when fans see that yellow “Flag” caption on the score bug, they brace themselves for the impact on their team. After roughly five to ten seconds, a referee with a white cap and black and white suit shows up on the screen, ready to make a call. Sometimes they talk fast, sometimes they talk slow, sometimes they like to cause arguments between the league and the fans. What fans do not realize is that these referees have also been working a long time to reach the pinnacle of sports and that they have a long history behind them. Here are all of the active NFL referees that casual fans should get to know by the next time they turn on that TV.
Brad Allen, #122 (11th season as referee, 11th working for NFL)
Brad Allen has been working in the NFL since the 2014 season, becoming a referee immediately after the retirement of Mike Carey. He was very close to working as an umpire, but immediately took the job once it opened. Prior to that, the Lumberton, NC native officiated high school football and Atlantic Coast Conference games. His most notable comrade on the 2024 crew is Sarah Thomas, who became the NFL’s first full-time female official in 2015. Allen served as the official during the Lions’ failed two-point conversion against the Cowboys in 2023, which cost them the game as well as Allen’s ability to officiate future playoff games.
Tra Blake, #3 (3rd season as referee, 5th working for NFL)
Tra Blake is the referee who has worked the least amount of seasons in the league compared to the others. So, it is obvious that he has not worked a playoff game just yet. A native of Clermont, FL, Blake had to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic massively once he entered the league in 2020 as a field and side judge. In 2021, he was moved to umpire. Despite pushing through worldwide pain, he earned his promotion in 2022 after longtime official Tony Corrente hung up the white cap. Before all of that, Blake worked Conference USA and ACC games, as well as Spring Football games for defunct leagues (AAF and XFL).
Clete Blakeman, #34 (15th season as referee, 17th working for NFL)
Are you an avid Madden NFL Football gamer? Chances are, in newer titles, you have heard Clete Blakeman’s voice whenever a flag is thrown. The former Nebraska Cornhuskers QB began officiating NFL games in 2008 as a field judge before being promoted to where he is today in 2010, following Don Carey’s move to back judge. He had also worked Big 12 Conference games prior to the promotion. Notable events officiated by Blakeman include Super Bowl 50 in 2016 as well as the 2024 NFC Championship victory for the 49ers.
Carl Cheffers, #51 (17th season as referee, 25th working for NFL)
Cheffers is currently the longest-tenured referee in the league, with nearly 400 games officiated. The Whittier, CA native was promoted to referee in 2008 when referees Larry Nemmers and Gerald Austin retired. Carl also called a game between the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys in 2010, where he said to the viewers, “Excuse me a minute” when he was unsure of who to penalize. He has officiated two Super Bowls over the course of his career: Super Bowl LI in Houston, and Super Bowl LVII in Glendale. In addition, he was also the referee during Aaron Rodgers’s Miracle in Motown back in 2015.
Land Clark, #130 (5th season as referee, 7th working for NFL)
Land Clark is one of the fastest-talking referees in the league. During his development for the pros, he worked in the Pac-12 games, the 2013 National Championship Game, and the 2015 Sugar Bowl. Three years later, the Santa Barbara, CA native graduated to the NFL, working as a field judge. When he was promoted in 2020, he replaced longtime referee Walt Anderson. For 2024, Clark has one goal: Officiate his first-ever playoff game. He had never done such a job before, even as a field judge. Clark currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Alan Eck, #76 (2nd season as referee, 9th working for NFL)
Introducing the league’s newest head referee, Alan Eck. Eck is very recognizable, as he still wears the umpire “U” while wearing the white cap simultaneously. Eck entered the league in 2016 as a side judge, before moving to umpire in 2017. 2023 marked his first season as a referee after Jerome Boger’s retirement. A resident of Williamsport, PA (Home of the Little League World Series), Eck was a quarterback at Bloomsburg University. Prior to joining the NFL, his college assignments included the Big 12 and Mountain West Conferences.
Adrian Hill, #29 (6th season as referee, 15th working for NFL)
Adrian Hill has been living quite a busy life along with being an official. Hill, a former employee of NASA, began his officiating career at the college level in 2004. He called Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Conference USA games, as well as NFL Europe games, before his promotion to the NFL in 2010. After working as a line, field, and side judge for nine years, he finally earned a promotion to head referee for the 2019 season, after the retirements of Pete Morelli and Walt Coleman. Between 2022-23, the native of our nation’s capital called his first two playoff games as a referee, looking to add to his legacy in the coming years.
Shawn Hochuli, #83 (7th season as referee, 11th working for NFL)
Shawn Hochuli’s family presence in the NFL dates back a while. A native of Tempe, Arizona, Hochuli played football at Pitzer. His father, Ed, is arguably the most famous NFL official of all time. He entertained the audience with his penalty calls, spicing them up every once in a while to get a laugh out of the fans. Shawn became a back judge in 2014 and was promoted to referee in 2018 after his father retired. He started the 2024 season strong by calling the season opener between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. Hochuli has not called a Super Bowl yet, but he gave Tom Brady an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in a Divisional game back in 2022.
John Hussey, #35 (10th season as referee, 23rd working for NFL)
A slow-talking referee, John Hussey worked hard in order to earn such an opportunity. Hussey entered the league in 2002 as a line judge. He spent a whopping thirteen years working in that role before earning a promotion to head referee in 2015. This came following the retirement of Bill Leavy. John has been in the NFL for the second-longest amount of time, just behind Cheffers. He has called at least one playoff game every season since 2017. He acted as the alternate referee for Super Bowls LIV and LVII and officiated Super Bowl XLV in Arlington. Away from the football field, Hussey is the co-founder of animal welfare marketing company CUDDLY.
Alex Kemp, #55 (7th season as referee, 11th working for NFL)
“I’m talking to America here.” Kemp’s line from a game between the Seahawks and Lions in 2023 is cited as a reason by fans for his recognition. However, like the others, it’s way more than just that. Alex became a referee at the same time Shawn Hochuli did back in 2018. Prior to that, he worked as a side judge from 2014-17. A California native, Kemp attended Santa Clara University and played football. He is a jack of all trades who can also officiate softball and college football games.
Clay Martin, #19 (7th season as referee, 10th working for NFL)
Pensacola, Florida’s Clay Martin is a really tough referee. He began his career in 2015 as an umpire, before being promoted to referee in 2018. A notorious moment from Clay was when he announced a false start penalty to the Dolphins in Germany when they squared off against the Chiefs in Munich during the 2023 season. Like some other referees, he has yet to call a Super Bowl, but he has called playoff games as high as the Divisionals. While not on the NFL field, he serves as a high school basketball coach. Very recently, Martin confused his sports while making a call, by claiming that Josh Allen fumbled… a basketball.
Scott Novak, #1 (6th season as referee, 11th working for NFL)
In sports such as Formula 1, the number 1 denotes that the driver is the defending champion of the series. If Scott Novak became the first NFL official to ever wear #1, does that automatically make him the best referee on the tour? Maybe or maybe not. A native of Miami, FL, he began his pro career in 2014 as a side judge. He also worked as a field judge and an umpire before his promotion in 2019. While he initially performed well as a referee, calling a playoff game in 2020, he has not participated in such matters since. Prior to his pro career, Novak worked Big 12 football games, calling the National Championship Game between SEC rivals Alabama and LSU in 2012.
Brad Rogers, #126 (5th season as referee, 7th working for NFL)
One of three triple-digit referees in the league, Brad Rogers has been quiet so far. He recently officiated his first playoff game as a head referee during the Chiefs vs. Dolphins Wild Card game in 2023. He began his NFL career as a field judge in 2017 and was promoted to head referee in 2019 after John Parry’s retirement. The Lubbock, TX-based official also worked SEC and Conference USA games before going pro. Rogers’s alma mater is Lubbock Christian University, where he was a professor in the business department before moving to Texas Tech University’s management department.
Shawn Smith, #14 (7th season as referee, 10th working for NFL)
Shawn Smith, the third of four active African-American referees in the league, has worked a hefty load. He may not have called a Super Bowl yet, but he has had some funny moments. In 2020, when the Washington Football Team squared off against the Cincinnati Bengals, there was a confusing play, which resulted in a Washington safety (The game that also derailed Joe Burrow’s rookie season). He surely had a mouthful of words coming out of his mouth. In 2022, during a game between the Dolphins and Titans, he tried to grab everybody’s attention by saying “Hey, hey, hey!” Smith, who, with Clay Martin, replaced NBC/Prime Video’s Terry McAulay and CBS’s Gene Steratore as referee in 2018, worked as an umpire from 2015-18.
Ronald Torbert, #62 (11th season as referee, 15th working for NFL)
Ron Torbert is a name that most fans have heard of at least once while watching a game. The Michigan State alum is the third of four active African-American referees, alongside Blake, Hill, and Smith. He called the NFL’s first-ever Brazilian game in September 2024, where the Eagles defeated the Packers 34-29. Ron’s first season in the NFL was in 2010, working as a side judge. In 2014, he was promoted after Scott Green and Ron Winter retired. Similar to Blakeman, he has been marketed in NFL media in the past. In 2019, he appeared in the NFL 100th anniversary commercial that aired during Super Bowl LIII. And finally, in 2022, his dream came true, calling Super Bowl LVI between the Rams and Bengals.
Bill Vinovich, #52 (16th season as referee, 19th working for NFL)
Bill Vinovich’s long career is impressive, to say the least. He has worked for the league on two separate occasions, with his first tenure lasting from 2001-2006. He took a leave from his job immediately due to health issues. Despite this, he still worked as a replay official on the Ed Hochuli crew. He was promoted to referee from side judge in 2004. In 2012, he made his return to the NFL on Scott Green’s crew and was promoted back to referee not long afterward. The Beaver County, PA native has worked three Super Bowls as a referee: XLIX in Glendale, LIV in Miami, and LVIII in Vegas, becoming the first official to appear in two Super Bowls involving the same teams.
Craig Wrolstad, #4 (11th season as referee, 22nd working for NFL)
To say Craig Wrolstad earned the opportunity to become a head referee with his 20+ years of experience would be an understatement. A resident of Lake Tapps, Washington, Wrolstad began calling games in NFL Europe, Arena Football, and Pac-10. He entered the NFL in 2003 as a field judge and spent eleven years in that role before his promotion to head referee in 2014. He has been able to earn playoff experience during his time in the league, being named alternate referee of Super Bowl LII in Minnesota in the process. During his time as a field judge, he worked Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. Additionally, Craig worked the 2020 Pro Bowl in Orlando, during a weekend where the league mourned the loss of basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
