John Parry (American football official)

Summary

John W. Parry (born May 4, 1965) is an American former football official who worked in the National Football League (NFL) from 2000 through the 2018 season.[1] He wore uniform number 132[2] and was the referee for two Super Bowls. He is the rules analyst for NFL telecasts on ABC and ESPN including Monday Night Football and postseason games.

John Parry
Born (1965-05-04) May 4, 1965 (age 58)
OccupationNFL official (2000–2018)
Known forSuper Bowl referee (XLVI, LIII)

Career edit

Parry was promoted to referee for the 2007 season following the retirement of Bill Vinovich due to health issues.[3]

In 2018, Parry's NFL officiating crew consisted of umpire Mark Pellis, down judge David Oliver, line judge Julian Mapp, field judge Matt Edwards, side judge Michael Banks, back judge Perry Paganelli, replay official Jimmy Oldham, and replay assistant Roddy Ames.[4]

Parry retired on April 1, 2019 accepting a position with ESPN to be the rules analyst for Monday Night Football.[5]

Notable games edit

Parry officiated Super Bowl XLI in 2007 as a side judge on the crew headed by referee Tony Corrente.[6] Parry was the referee of Super Bowl XLVI, which was held February 5, 2012, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.[7] Parry refereed his last NFL game and second NFL title game on February 3, 2019, in Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.[8][9]

In 2014, Parry worked a Patriots–Eagles preseason game with Maia Chaka. Chaka was a head linesman, now known as the down judge, becoming one of the first female NFL officials.[10]

Parry was the referee of the 2015 Pro Bowl.[11]

Parry's crew officiated the 2015 AFC wild card game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, which was filled with injuries and personal fouls on both sides,[12] and which sportswriter Mike Freeman later called "one of the dirtiest and ugliest contests in the modern era of the sport".[13]

Personal life edit

Parry is a native of Michigan City, Indiana and a graduate of Michigan City Rogers High School.[14] He is also an associate financial advisor for Ameriprise Financial in suburban Tallmadge.[15] His father, Dave Parry, was the Supervisor of Officials for the Big Ten Conference and the side judge in Super Bowl XVII.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ Volin, Ben (August 4, 2007). "NBA ref scandal 'a wake-up call'". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved September 3, 2007.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ Buchmasser, Bernd (January 24, 2019). "Super Bowl 53: John Parry will be the referee for Patriots vs. Rams". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Ask the Official". Inside Football. August 12, 2007. Archived from the original on July 24, 2008. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  4. ^ "Officiating crews for the 2018 season". Football Zebras. July 6, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  5. ^ Filipe, Cameron (April 1, 2019). "John Parry to become new ESPN rules analyst". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  6. ^ "Corrente to referee Super Bowl". Associated Press. January 31, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2007.
  7. ^ "Super Bowl XLVI - New York Giants vs. New England Patriots - February 5th, 2012". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  8. ^ "NFL announces Super Bowl LIII officiating crew". NFL.com. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  9. ^ "Super Bowl LIII - Los Angeles Rams vs. New England Patriots - February 3rd, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  10. ^ "Troy Vincent on Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  11. ^ Austro, Ben (January 25, 2015). "John Parry heads 2015 Pro Bowl crew". Football Zebras. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  12. ^ Wesseling, Chris. "Steelers narrowly escape Cincinnati with win". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  13. ^ Freeman, Mike (January 10, 2016). "Disgraceful Bengals Loss in Ugly Playoff Could Cost Coach Marvin Lewis His Job". bleacherreport.com. Cincinnati: Bleacher Report, Inc. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  14. ^ "Super Stage". The News-Dispatch. February 14, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2012.
  15. ^ John Parry, Associate Financial Advisor with the practice of Keith Lucas – Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine