Social Justice
Black NFL Referee Officials Come Together To Honor Burl Toler
Burl Toler was the first black official in any major sport who served as an NFL field judge and head linesman beginning in 1965
55 years after Burl Toler became the first Black official in the NFL, current Black officials came together to honor his legacy.
The all-Black officiating crew worked an NFL game for the first time in league history when the Los Angeles Rams faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday.
The crew was led by referee Jerome Boger, which also included umpire Barry Anderson, down judge Julian Mapp, line judge Carl Johnson, side judge Dale Shaw, field judge Anthony Jeffries and back judge Greg Steed.
Burl Toler was the first Black official in any major sport who served as an NFL field judge and head linesman beginning in 1965. Johnny Grier became the NFL’s first black referee in 1988 and Mike Carey served as the first African American to lead an officiating crew at a Super Bowl 20 years later.
When the NFL announced the crew was being assembled last week, league executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent praised the move ‘a testament to the countless and immeasurable contributions of black officials to the game, their exemplary performance, and to the power of inclusion that is the hallmark of this great game.’
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