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A numbers game: 2 officials change uniform numbers
Update your rosters! Two veteran officials will be wearing new numbers for 2022.
When players join new teams, there are often jersey numbering issues that need to be worked out. But it is not something we typically see in officiating.
For 2022, field judge Nate Jones (pictured above at the Browns-Jaguars preseason game) will wear the number he wore as a NFL player: 33. That’s because referee Tra Blake agreed to give Jones his number 33, and took another available number.
Jones became an NFL official four years ago after a successful playing career and assigned him number 42 for his zebra jersey. The NFL hired Tra Blake as an umpire in 2020, and he was assigned number 33. (Oddly, 33 wasn’t technically vacated, which we explain in the table below.) After two years as a NFL umpire, Blake was promoted to referee for 2022.
After the 2021 season, field judge Scott Edwards retired. Edwards wore uniform number 3.
We don’t know who approached whom first. But we do know that when the 2022 season started, the NFL assigned Jones Blake’s number 33. Blake took the retired Edwards’ number 3. And NFL gave Duane Heydt, a rookie umpire, Jones’s recently vacated number 42.
Got it?
http://gty.im/107784516Numbers are very important to NFL officials. Retired referee Jerry Markbreit told Football Zebras a few years ago, “When the NFL assigns you a number, that number becomes you. For 23 years I was 9. I’m still called ‘Nine’ today long after I’ve retired.”
Discounting the screwy 1979-81 numbering system — which we detail in the link above — this is the first time someone at the referee position has worn number 3 since Jack Vest wore it in 1970 and 1971.
So, for all of you keeping score at home, please note the numbering changes for Tra Blake and Nate Jones.
Number changes since 1970
Excluding any number changes due to the re-numbering system that was in place from 1979 to 1981.
| Original Number | New Number | Reason, if known | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | BJ | Frank Luzar | 64 | 11 | John McDonough retired after 1973, Luzar took number. |
| BJ | Don Wedge | 87 | 28 | ||
| 1978 | U | Paul Trepinski | 22 | 6 | Retired after 1977. Paul Baetz was hired and took 22. John Keck was injured just before 1978 season. Trepinski came out of retirement to sub for Keck. 6 was available (Bernie Ulman retired in 1977). |
| 1982 | R | Tom Dooley | 103 | 6 | After the end of the 1979-81 numbering system, 6 was available, and Dooley took it. |
| 1983 | R | Fred Wyant | 75 | 11 | Changed to the number he wore in college; also to honor Vince Jacob who had died in the offseason |
| U | Dave Moss | 81 | 88 | Pat Harder retired after the 1982 season and Moss took 88. | |
| 1984 | SJ | Gerry Austin | 112 | 34 | Fritz Graf retired after the 1983 season. Austin was a rookie side judge in 1983, and he and Graf were on the same crew. |
| 1993 | R | Ron Blum | 83 | 7 | Fred Silva had retired in 1988. 7 had been vacant since then. Blum was promoted to referee in 1993 and took 7. He kept 7 when he returned to line judge. |
| 1997 | LJ | Ron Winter | 82 | 14 | Winter was promoted to referee in 1997 and 14 was available. |
| 1998 | HL | Tony Veteri (II) | 52 | 36 | Changed to his father’s number when it became available |
| 2004 | SJ | Bill Spyksma | 12 | 8 | Returned from leave of absence, original number assigned to Greg Steed |
| 2006 | R | Jerome Boger | 109 | 23 | Changed to the number of Johnny Grier, the first Black referee in the NFL |
| 2008 | SJ | Barry Anderson | 86 | 20 | 20 was available after Larry Nemmers retired |
| 2009 | FJ | Craig Wrolstad | 89 | 4 | Available after side judge Doug Toole retired. |
| 2010 | HL | John McGrath | 120 | 5 | Available after Jim Quirk (I) retired |
| SJ | Jeff Lamberth | 103 | 21 | HL John Schleyer retired in 2009, and Lamberth took 21. | |
| 2012 | LJ | Julian Mapp | 52 | 10 | Gave number back to Bill Vinovich after Week 5 following Vinovich’s return from medical leave |
| 2016 | U | Barry Anderson | 20 | 31 | One-year temporary change to honor the late Chad Brown |
| 2017 | BJ | Jim Quirk (II) | 63 | 5 | Changed to his father’s number when it became available |
| 2019 | LJ | Walt Coleman IV | 87 | 65 | Changed to his father’s number after he retired |
| 2020 | FJ | Steve Zimmer | 33 | 22 | Returned for 24th season after originally not being on roster, original number already assigned to Tra Blake. Then… |
| 2022 | FJ | Nate Jones (II) | 42 | 33 | Changed to the number he wore as an NFL player |
| R | Tra Blake | 33 | 3 | Changed to accommodate Jones’s number |
Photos, top to bottom: Ben Austro/Football Zebras, Doug Pensinger/Getty Images, Tennessee Titans photo
