Jim Tunney, the umpire, dies aged 95 – Football Zebras

The officiating community has lost a titan.

Jim Tunney, universally known as Judge Merdekan, died peacefully Thursday at his home in Pebble Beach, Calif., according to published reports. Tunney was 95. He was the second-oldest living on-field official at the time of his passing.

“Jim Tunney was an officiating legend,” said former referee and current NFL officiating rules analyst Walt Anderson. “For decades he was not only an outstanding referee but a credit to the entire refereeing profession. He took time to mentor young officials and his immense integrity earned him the respect of the entire football community, especially those who played and coached the game at the highest level .”

Tunney was one of just seven officials recognized to have officiated more than 30 years and worked some 444 NFL games on the field, which is estimated by Football zebras and Quirky Research due to gaps in game records in the 1960s. His 31-year NFL career began in 1960, after turning down an invitation to join the startup AFL. He was the field umpire through the 1966 season and held the umpire position until his retirement in 1990. Tunney and umpire Ben Dreith hold the record for the longest number of years of service. (The presumed leader by many years was senior lineman Dan Tehan at 32, but our research shows that number includes non-NFL service in other leagues in the 1930s.)

It was not only his longevity, but Tunney was one of the most respected voices to judge. His experiences were vast, starting from a controversial call in a one-game playoff in 1965 between the Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore Colts.

As the field umpire and the only umpire stationed at the goal post, Tunney had to call the field goal for the Western Conference title. After the two-minute warning, Packers kicker Don Chandler lowered his head after his field goal attempt to break the deadlock appeared to sail wide left. However, the official standing in the back of the end zone raised his hands to determine that the field goal had been scored.

At that time, the H-style goal post was used and was placed on the goal line. Tunney, the field umpire for the playoff, positioned himself in the end zone behind the posts, and with Chandler’s kick straight, was able to rule on the post closer to the snap hash field. The ball sailed over the height of the posts and Tunney had to decide whether the ball was inside or outside the goal plane from 10 yards back. Film evidence was uncertain as the camera was even further back. There were no rule changes in the offseason, but the NFL switched to the slingshot-style post, made the posts 10 feet taller, and two officials are now under each upright.

The accomplishment most would ask Tunney about is not his 3 Super Bowls (VI and, in consecutive seasons, XI and XII). It’s not his 8 championship games he worked. Out of his 19 postseason assignments, it was a divisional playoff game from Soldier Field that very few people saw.

Known as the Fog Bowl, the 1988 Divisional Playoff between the Eagles and Bears was another challenge for the veteran referee. At the 2-minute warning in the first half, a fog rolled in off Lake Michigan and covered Soldier Field. What should Tunney do? He checked with league officials throughout the game, and a break in play was considered, but no action was taken. Both coaches were content to move on, despite not being able to see the plays they were calling. To help, Tunney would announce down and distance and occasionally add details such as incomplete passes. They could see the goalposts and the game clock and so the game continued despite the fact that only those on the field have the only memory of what actually happened.

The league was responsible for explaining the series of decisions after the game. The procedure then, and which exists now, is for the umpire and game director to meet with a local reporter, who shares a pool transcript with the rest of the media. As a sign of the immense comfort the league had in Tunney’s abilities, they took it a step further. “As soon as we got back to our locker room, the phone rang,” Tunney wrote on the 30th anniversary of the game. “It was NFL Vice President of Communications Joe Browne who informed me not to change out of my uniform when CBS reporter Will McDonough wanted to interview me about why we continued to play in these unusual conditions.” Tunney also conducted an interview for NBC’s pregame for the second playoff game of the day.

Tunney retired after the 1990 season and worked for decades as an observer and coach. With his many years of leadership on the field, he had become a very accomplished public speaker, wrote frequent columns on sportsmanship and teamwork, and authored 5 books.

He was admired by many, but perhaps a measure of how far that goes, he earned great respect from former Raiders coach John Madden. In 1990, he was the first official to be named to the All-Madden Team, an annual honor dating back to Madden’s days on CBS. He has received lifetime achievement awards from the National Association of Sports Officials (Golden Whistle Award) and the NFL Officiating Division (Art McNally Award). He has been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame several times, but has yet to appear on the final ballot.

When he retired, he was still reminded by Don Shula, the Colts coach in 1965, that he felt Tunney’s call was wrong. Tunney told him, “It’s been (several) years now. Let it go. Let it go.” Shula was first in line to endorse one of Tunney’s books, saying, “I don’t know anyone more qualified to write about character, leadership and values ​​than Jim Tunney.”

He even got Shula to change his tune.

Here’s our feature on Tunney for his 95th birthday earlier this year: