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Carl Cheffers | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cheffers in 2019 | |
| Born | (1960-07-22)July 22, 1960 (age 65) Whittier, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | NFLofficial (2000–present) |
Carl Cheffers (born July 22, 1960) is an American professionalfootballofficial who officiates games for theNational Football League (NFL). He has been an NFL official since the2000 NFL season.[1]
As a college student, Cheffers became interested in officiating through his father, and decided to work intramural sports to make additional income.[1] Enjoying the experience of student sports, he sought assistance from his father to officiatehigh school football games to begin a career.[1] Starting in 1980, he worked several high school playoff games, and two high school championship games.[1] By 1995, Cheffers began officiating in the Pac-10 where he worked for five seasons before being hired by the NFL.[2] During this time, he also worked in theWestern Athletic Conference.[2]
Since entering the NFL, Cheffers has worked as a side judge, most recently on the crew headed by refereeLarry Nemmers.[3] Cheffers was promoted to referee (crew chief) beginning with the2008 NFL season following the retirement of Nemmers and refereeGerald Austin.[3]
In his promotion to referee, NFL officiating directorMike Pereira said of Cheffers, "Carl has been extremely successful on the field as a side judge. He is very knowledgeable of the rules, a good rules guy. Strong presence. He was part of Larry Nemmers' crew and he was clearly a crew leader. When we first saw Carl, we saw referee experience from him even though he had refereed basically at the small-college level."[4]
In 2010, Cheffers refereed a game between theDallas Cowboys andHouston Texans, during which there was a convoluted play on a Texans' kickoff return in the 4th quarter that resulted in multiple offsetting penalties. Cheffers struggled to clearly announce the outcome of the play and the penalties, resulting in a memorable and humorous moment for the announcers and fans.[5]
Cheffers was selected to be the alternate referee ofSuper Bowl XLIX, which was played atUniversity of Phoenix Stadium inGlendale, Arizona on February 1, 2015.[6]
In December 2015, Cheffers refereed the game between theDetroit Lions andGreen Bay Packers, which resulted in the "Miracle in Motown" play.[7]
On February 5, 2017, Cheffers was the referee forSuper Bowl LI inHouston, between theNew England Patriots and theAtlanta Falcons, which was the first Super Bowl to be decided in an overtime period. New England won the game 34–28.[8][9] Previously during that same postseason, he had refereed the game between thePittsburgh Steelers andKansas City Chiefs and was criticized by players for calling a holding penalty on Chiefs offensive tackleEric Fisher during a crucial two-point conversion attempt, which resulted in the Steelers winning 18–16. Pereira supported the call.[10]
Cheffers was the referee ofSuper Bowl LV, which was his second Super Bowl assignment as a referee.[11] The eight penalties and 95 yards enforced against Kansas City, in the first half, were both NFL records for a Super Bowl. The first half penalties resulted in six first downs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers which was also an NFL record.[12] Cheffers was also selected as the referee forSuper Bowl LVII, held on February 12, 2023.[13]
Source:[14]
Cheffers and his wife have a son and a daughter.[2] Cheffers's father also was a football official and worked in thePacific-10 Conference (Pac-10).[1][2]