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Fred Silva | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1927-10-18)October 18, 1927 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 3, 2004(2004-12-03) (aged 77) Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Education | San José State University |
| Occupation | NFLofficial (1968–1988) |
Fred Silva (October 18, 1927 – December 3, 2004) was anAmerican football official in theNational Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons from 1968 to 1988. Silva was widely known for his coolness under fire on the football field[1] and clapping his hand together when signaling a first down. The pinnacle of Silva's officiating career in the NFL was being assigned toSuper Bowl XIV in 1980. On the field, Silva wore three different uniform numbers. In the 1968 and 1969, seasons, Silva wore uniform number 49, but changed to number 81 in 1970, which he wore until 1978. Finally, from 1979 until the end of his career in 1988, he wore the number 7.
Silva graduated in 1945 fromCastlemont High School in Oakland where he playedquarterback on the school'sfootball team and earned all-state honors.
After completing high school, Silva joined theUnited States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged a year later in 1946. Following his service in the military, Silva attendedSan Jose State University, graduating with abachelor's degree ineducation in March 1950. At San Jose State, Silva played football and was arunning back andlinebacker.
Silva became firstathletic director atSan Jose City College and he coached football,basketball,baseball, andtrack teams during his tenure at the school. He led the football team to four championships during the 1950s and coached notable players that eventually played in the NFL such asOakland Raiders quarterbackChon Gallegos andChicago Bearsoffensive linemanJim Cadile.
Following his coaching career, Silva began a career in officiating. Silva worked football, basketball, and baseball games as an official. He spent several years officiating at the collegiate level in thePac-8 (now known as the Pac-12). In the Pac-8, Silva officiated basketball games involvingLew Alcindor (better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), who played for theUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)Bruins from 1965 to 1969.
Silva joined the NFL in 1967 as a line judge on legendary refereeTommy Bell's officiating crew and was promoted to referee in 1969. The highlight of Silva's career was being selected as referee forSuper Bowl XIV between theLos Angeles Rams andPittsburgh Steelers in 1980. He would retire following the1988 NFL season.
Silva and Jack Fette, another NFL official, sued the league for age discrimination in 1992. They accused the NFL of grading officials over age 60 more strictly than their younger colleagues. He and Fette split a cash settlement with the league. In an ironic situation, Fette finished his career in the NFL with a Super Bowl assignment, his fifth, during the1987 NFL season after grading out with a perfect season. Fette stayed on for the next four seasons as aninstant replay official.
Silva died on December 3, 2004, at the age of 77 inPalo Alto, California. His death was attributed tocongestive heart failure.
A lifelong friend of Silva said, "Fred had a great sense of humor and a razor-sharp wit, which occasionally served him well in tense situations during NFL games. He was also a mentor to many younger people interested in athletics as a career choice."[2]
Silva was the referee for the 1981AFC Championship Game between theSan Diego Chargers andCincinnati Bengals at Cincinnati'sRiverfront Stadium. The game was played under the coldest wind chill temperature in NFL history. Air temperature was -9 °F (-23 °C), but the wind chill was -59 °F (-51 °C). The game would later become known in NFL lore as the "Freezer Bowl".