Super Bowl LVI is quickly approaching and will feature the upstart Cincinnati Bengals and the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Feb. 13 in Los Angeles. Last year was historic for the NFL as it assigned an all-Black officiating crew for the first time in league history. And while that won’t happen again this year, African Americans will be well-represented both as officials and as coaches.
Here’s the lineup:
Ron Torbert will serve as the referee, Carl Johnson as the line judge and Keith Washington as the side judge. Torbert will be doing his first Super Bowl, Carl Johnson his second and Keith Washington his first.
As for the coaching staffs, the Rams have nine African Americans: Raheem Morris, defensive coordinator; Nick Johnson, offensive assistant; Jonathan Cooley, secondary coach; Marcus Dixon, assistant defensive coordinator; Eric Henderson, defensive line/run game; Ejiro Evers, secondary/pass game coordinator; Chris Shula, linebackers; Eric Yarber, wide receivers; and Thomas Brown, running backs/assistant head coach.
The Bengals have five Blacks on their staff: Justin Hall, running backs; Marion Hobby, defensive line; Steve Jackson, cornerbacks/secondary; Troy Walters, wide receivers; and Todd Hunt, assistant strength and conditioning.
Dreams Can Come True
For those interested in becoming a football official, it is recommended that you start at the youth level. A good place to begin would be at Pop Warner Football (popwarner.com) or USA Football (support@usafootball.com). If you feel that you are more advanced and ready for the high school level, contact nfhs.org (highschoolofficials.com).
If you are interested in becoming a football coach, go to www.indeed.com/how for the nuts and bolts.