First Black NFL referee, Johnny Grier, dies at 74
Grier was hailed as a mentor for others coming through the ranks.
Johnny Grier, a long-time National Football League official who became the league’s first Black referee, died on March 8. He was 74.
The New York Times reported that his granddaughter, Bryanna Grier, announced his death. Many in the football community wrote messages of mourning after the news was announced.
Troy Vincent, an executive vice president for the NFL, was among those who praised Grier.
Grier joined the NFL as a field judge in 1981 after serving as a high school and college official. Field judges stand 20 yards off the line of scrimmage and on the same side of the field as the line judge.
He served as a field judge for Super Bowl XXII between the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos at what was then called Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Washington won the game 42-10.
Shortly after, the NFL promoted Grier to referee, who serves as the leader of the officiating crew. He held that position for 16 years, the Times reported.
Grier didn’t think much of his status as a trailblazer. “The first time I make a call that goes against somebody that they don’t like, I’m going to be just another referee,” he told Ebony magazine in 1988, according to the Times.
Grier stopped officiating in 2004 due to a leg injury he suffered during a game. He continued to work in the league office as Northeast regional officiating supervisor, the Times reported.
Grier also served as a mentor to other up-and-coming Black officials. He was the director of officiating for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), a group comprised of HBCUs.
Wayne Mackie, the NFL’s vice president of officiating, training, and development, told the Times that Grier was an important mentor.
Mackie was a MEAC official in 1999 when Grier endorsed him for an Atlantic 10 conference job. The Atlantic 10, a training ground for the Big East Conference, lacked Black officials.
Mackie said Grier told him, “I want them to know what kind of officiating program I’m building, so they can no longer say they can’t find African American officials,” according to the Times.
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