Longtime NFL referee Jim Tunney dies at age 95

Jim Tunney, who spent three decades as an NFL official, has died at the age of 95.

Tunney refereed Super Bowl VI, Super Bowl XI and Super Bowl XII and played 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 keen eye for the game into his 90s, following the referees closely when watching games.

“I see a game down the field and I wonder where the referee waswhere the back umpire was, see where he was so he could call,” Tunney told Sam Farmer 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 honest that he didn’t think the referee was as good as the players, coaches and fans deserve.

“There are 17 teams and we need 17 good referees,” he said. “We don’t have that.”

At least everyone knew there was one good umpire when Jim Tunney was working the game.