Ron Torbert is the referee for Super Bowl LIX

Football Zebras has confirmed that Ron Torbert will be the referee for Super Bowl LIX at the Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans.

This will be Torbert’s second on-field Super Bowl assignment, the first being Super Bowl LVI. He was the alternate referee for Super Bowl LIII.

This is Torbert’s 14th postseason assignment in his 15th season and 11th as referee. In addition to his last Super Bowl assignment, he has officiated 4 Wild Card Playoffs, 7 Divisional Playoffs, and 1 Conference Championship.

Torbert began officiating in 1989 at the high school level in Michigan. After working up the small college ladder, he worked one year in the Mid-American Conference, followed by four years in the Big Ten Conference. Torbert worked in NFL Europe for the 2007 season, and was hired by the NFL in 2010. He was promoted to referee in 2014 along with Craig Wrolstad following the retirements of Scott Green and Ron Winter. Torbert, 61, is an attorney from Hanover, Md, and was the referee for the Commanders-Lions Divisional Playoff game in Detroit..

The NFL has broken from many traditional Super Bowl assigning requirements — namely that non-referee members of the Super Bowl crew must have a Conference Championship game on their résumé (or received on-field assignments in 3 of the last 5 postseasons) in addition to being at least a 5-year veteran. Umpire Mike Morton and down judge Max Causey are each in their third season.

Another change is that the entire Super Bowl officiating crew did not work in the Divisional Playoffs. Morton is working the NFC Championship Game, and Super Bowl LIX will be his third playoff assignment of his career. The last time an official worked both top tier games in the same postseason was back judge Don Dorkowski in Super Bowl XXXII. Dorkowski was a late-substitution in that year, because another official’s name was printed in the Super Bowl programs. Prior to that, it was Stan Javie in the 1979 season who was assigned both games.

Morton, a former linebacker, is the first NFL official to officiate a Super Bowl who also won a Super Bowl as a player. Morton was a reserve linebacker for the 1999 Super Bowl XXXIV champion St. Louis Rams. (Other officials had championship rings from the NFL, AFL, and even with the Cleveland Browns during their A.A.F.C. years.) Terry Killens worked last year’s Super Bowl, and was the first official to also play in a Super Bowl.

In addition to Torbert, side judge Boris Cheek, who has officiated the most games in NFL history, will be returning to the limelight of the Super Bowl. This will be Cheek’s 4th Super Bowl assignment. The remaining five officials on the crew will be officiating their first Super Bowl.

*Morton will work a Conference Championship game before the Super Bowl.