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 worked legendary games including the Ice Bowl in Green Bay, the Fog Bowl in Chicago and The Catch in San Francisco.
Tunney was the NFL’s youngest official when he was hired in 1960 at the age of 30, and he continued to have a sharp eye for the game into his 90s, watching the officials closely when he watched games.
“I see a play down the field and I wonder where the side judge was, where the back judge was, see where he was so he could make the call,” Tunney told Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times this year. “In officiating, it’s positioning. If you’re in the right position at the right time, you’re going to make the right call. We’re trained that way.”
Tunney was candid that he didn’t think the officiating was as good as the players, coaches and fans deserve.
“There are 17 crews, and we need 17 good referees,” he said. “We don’t have that.”
Everyone knew at least that there was one good referee when Jim Tunney was working the game.
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