Jim Tunney, who spent three decades as an NFL official, has died at the age of 95.
Tunney was the referee for Super Bowl VI, Super Bowl XI and Super Bowl XII, and participated in legendary games including the Ice Bowl in Green Bay, the Fog Bowl in Chicago and The Catch in San Francisco.
Tunney was the youngest official in the NFL when he was hired in 1960, at the age of 30, and he continued to have a keen eye on the game well into his 90s, closely monitoring officials when he watched the matches.
“I see a play on the field and I wonder where the side judge waswhere the back judge was, see where he was so he could make the call,” Tunney told Sam Farmer about the Los Angeles Times This year. “As an official, it’s a question of positioning. If you are in the right position at the right time, you will make the right decision. We are trained this way.
Tunney said frankly that he didn’t think the officials were as good as the players, coaches and fans deserved.
“There are 17 crews and we need 17 good referees,” he said. “We don’t have that.”
Everyone at least knew there was a good referee when Jim Tunney was working the game.
