The NFL chose Wednesday to announce the seven-man crew that will officiate the Super Bowl this Sunday between the New York Giants and New England Patriots at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Referee John Parry leads the crew, which also includes Carl Paganelli (umpire), Tom Stabile (head linesman), Gary Arthur (line judge), Gary Cavaletto (field judge), Laird Hayes (side judge) and Tony Steratore (back judge). Combined, they have 94 years of NFL officiating experience and 69 playoff assignments.
Parry, in his 12th season as an NFL official, has officiated nine playoff games - one Super Bowl, one Conference Championship, six Divisional playoffs and one Wild Card game. He was the side judge in Super Bowl XLI before being promoted to referee.
The NFL now uses a system devised to ensure that the best officials during the season are chosen to work the Super Bowl. The league rates each official, and those with the highest ratings are chosen for the Super crew, provided that they have at least five years of experience and one playoff series under their belts.
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