Father’s Day crews

One of the fun parts of being a dad is when a child wants to join the dad in an activity or hobby, or just wants to spend time together. I’m sure NFL officials are happy when their kids want to take up officiating. That happiness and pride, I’m sure, explodes when the child follows the dad’s steps into the NFL.

There are more father-son combinations in the NFL than you’d think:

• Dick Ferguson (deep official in the 1970s and ’80s) and current back judge Keith Ferguson
• Tony Veteri Sr. (head linesman in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s) and retired down judge Tony Veteri Jr.
• Jerry Bergman Sr. (head linesman 1965-1995) and current down judges Jeff Bergman and Jerry Bergman, Jr.
• Bob Rice (deep official in the ’70s and ’80s) and current umpire Jeff Rice
• Jerry Seeman (referee and former director of officiating) and current line judge Jeff Seeman
• Jim Quirk Sr. (former umpire and head of the NFL Referees Association) and current back judge Jim Quirk Jr.
• Ron Baynes (former line judge) and side judge Allen and line judge Rusty Baynes.
• Dick McKenzie (former line judge in the 80s and 90s) and line judge Dana McKenzie
• Referee Walt Coleman and side judge Walt Coleman, IV
• Ed Hochuli (former referee) and referee Shawn Hochuli (pictured above)
• Back judge Steve Freeman and side judge Brad Freeman 
• Stan Kemp (former side judge and referee who passed away from ALS while an active NFL official) and referee Alex Kemp

Of that list, Jeff and Jerry Bergman Sr., the Hochulis and Freemans worked on the field together.

While some may quibble that the official’s name helped open doors quickly, it cannot be argued that the second-generation officials proved themselves capable between the lines.

So on this Father’s Day we salute the father-son combinations in the NFL, along with all the dads out there!

Cover photo: Steve Freeman and Brad Freeman signal a touchdown.