Super Bowl LIX
Ron Torbert is the referee for Super Bowl LIX
Second on-field assignment to the Super Bowl for Torbert
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.
| Yrs | 2024 crew | College | Occupation | Previous Postseason | Prev. SB | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 62 | Ron Torbert | 15 | Michigan State | attorney | 4 WC, 7 DIV, 1 CCG | LVI | |
| U | 89 | Mike Morton | 3 | Kemp | North Carolina | dentist FORMER NFL PLAYER | 1 DIV* | |
| DJ | 21 | Max Causey | 3 | Hussey | Louisiana Tech | financial advisor | 1 WC, 1 DIV | |
| LJ | 75 | Mark Stewart | 7 | Novak | Pittsburg State | rancher | 4 WC, 1 DIV | |
| FJ | 31 | Mearl Robinson | 8 | Blake | Air Force | retired U.S. Air Force instructor | 2 WC, 2 DIV, 1 CCG | |
| SJ | 41 | Boris Cheek | 29 | Smith | Morgan State | retired director of operations and management | 7 WC, 7 DIV, 4 CCG | XLII, 50, LIV |
| BJ | 120 | Jonah Monroe | 10 | Blakeman | Arkansas | engineer | 3 WC, 3 DIV, 1 CCG | |
| RO | Kevin Brown | 6 | Allen | Purdue | retired air traffic controller | 2 WC, 1 DIV | ||
| RA | Sean McKee | — | Football Ops | NFL director of football data and analytics | 0 | LV, LVI | ||
| ALT | R | Carl Cheffers | 25 | California-Irvine | sales manager | 6 WC, 8 DIV, 3 CCG | LI, LV, LVII | |
| ALT | U | Duane Heydt | 3 | Allen | South Carolina | statistician and real-estate investor | 1 WC, 1 DIV | |
| ALT | DJ | Dana McKenzie | 17 | Blakeman | Toledo | claims adjuster | 6 WC, 3 DIV, 4 CCG | XLIX |
| ALT | LJ | Julian Mapp | 16 | Blakeman | Grambling State | software quality assurance tester | 5 WC, 2 DIV, 2 CCG | |
| ALT | FJ | Anthony Flemming | 5 | Hussey | Texas A&M-Commerce | senior auditor | 1 WC, 1 DIV, 2 CCG | |
| ALT | SJ | Chad Hill | 7 | Allen | Mississippi | medical sales | 2 WC, 2 DIV, 2 CCG | |
| ALT | BJ | Greg Yette | 15 | Rogers | Howard | defense contractor | 1 WC, 4 DIV | |
| ALT | RO | Matt Sumstine | 7 | Novak | Phoenix | real estate | 2 WC, 2 DIV |
*Morton will work a Conference Championship game before the Super Bowl.
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Anonymous
January 21, 2025 at 1:29 pm
Mike Morton worked a divisional round game last season.
Anonymous
January 22, 2025 at 7:04 am
Wasn’t ron the SB referee last yr?
danwahl80
January 22, 2025 at 7:31 am
Bill Vinovich was the SB ref last year. Torbert’s previous was in 2022.
Anonymous
January 22, 2025 at 10:30 am
Good choice, he deserves it, great game manager
Anonymous
January 22, 2025 at 4:33 pm
I thought Shawn Smith this year.. Torbert is very good however, I am scared of Blakeman this Sunday in KC, I know it’s an allstar crew, but his crew leads league in penalties, last game Bills v Jets had about 25 penalties.. Let them play.. We want to see Allen v Mahomes..
Harold Glen Fischer
January 22, 2025 at 5:29 pm
Adrian Hill deserved this. Torbert never has a voice so WTF.
Timothy Kornegay
January 24, 2025 at 5:13 pm
Didn’t LJ Bob Beeks worked a Conference Championship game and Super Bowl in the 1981 season?
Timothy Kornegay
January 24, 2025 at 5:16 pm
Didn’t Bob Beeks worked a CC and SB in the 1981 season?
Anonymous
January 27, 2025 at 10:48 am
Over/Under on first female Referee in the NFL – 5 years
Over/Under on first female Referee in the SB – 10 years