Let’s talk NFL referees. But not about referee decisions, but about the actual job of the NFL referees. What do they actually earn? What are they doing the rest of the week? Who has the most appearances and appearances at the Super Bowl? We have collected some facts about the “zebras”.
We have already explained to you HERE in the blog what the individual NFL referees do on the field. A crew at an NFL game consists of 7 referees: referee, umpire, down judge, line judge, field judge, side judge and back judge. So that means: For 16 games on a long NFL weekend, up to 112 referees are wearing black and white jerseys. But why are they so striped?
NFL referee: That’s why they wear striped jerseys
In the early days of the NFL in the 1920s, it was common for referees to wear a white jersey and a bow tie. This should exude authority. It’s just stupid that some teams also wore light-colored jerseys back then. One day it happened to referee Lloyd Olds that a ball was thrown to him by a team quarterback. The QB mistook the referee for one of his teammates. Shortly afterwards, Lloyd Olds went to a friend who had a sporting goods store. The first white referee jersey with black stripes was invented there. Curious: In the 1940s, the different NFL referees still wore different colored jerseys – depending on their task.
Today, NFL referees and their crew only do their jobs part-time. Many people have other jobs for the rest of the week. The cult referee Ed Hochuli was also a lawyer. Alex Kemp is an insurance broker, Bill Vinovich is an accountant, John Hussey works in sales at a logistics company, Carl Cheffers works at a car battery company and Alan Eck is a tax advisor, to name just a few examples. Replay Official Mike Wimmer is also a producer on Hard Knocks. Or Bruce Stritesky, who has since retired – he was a pilot.
How much does an NFL referee make?
The NFL is known for having a lot of money. Especially with the players, of course. But the referee crew can also make a good living from their job. The Fees is around $8,000 to $11,000 per game – depending on the position. According to the CBA, everyone will play at least 19 times – preseason and regular season. This adds up to around $200,000 per year. Anyone who is allowed to whistle in the playoffs or even the Super Bowl will receive a bonus. This can add up to another $50,000. That’s pretty neat.
What is noticeable: Some NFL referees are no longer the youngest. The average age is currently around 50 years. This is mainly because the NFL expects a certain level of experience before using a referee. That could be as little as 20 years of high school and/or college. The longest-serving head referee is Carl Cheffers, who was born on July 22, 1960 and has been active in the NFL since 2000. But there are also “zebras” that are active even longer. Field judge Rick Patterson is in his 30th year in the NFL (as of the 2025 season). Side judge Boris Cheek is also in his 30th season. He recently set the record for the most appearances ever. With 475 games he became the leader here.
Even more facts about NFL referees
Jerry Markbreit is the only head referee to have officiated a total of 4 Super Bowls. Tony Corrente, who retired in 2021, was 70 years old at the time, making him the oldest referee on the pitch to date. He officiated a Super Bowl, but also the 1998 World Bowl and many other games in NFL Europe. Shawn Hochuli is currently one of the youngest on the pitch. Ed Hochuli’s son was born in 1978. He has been in the NFL since 2014 – making his debut at just 36 years old. And: Of course we can Sarah Thomas Don’t forget: In 2015, she was the first woman to be a full-time referee and also in a Super Bowl. She works primarily as a down judge. Because of her, this position was even renamed. They used to say Head Linesman.
Matthias Gindorf, football journalist and radio producer from Berlin.
Active in the media since 2000 – including working for ARD Radio, DAZN, Crunchtime Magazine, Sports Illustrated and NFL Germany.
