Teacher from rural Oklahoma tapped for Super Bowl referee crew

Jerod Phillips is a basketball coach and trainer at Wickliffe, a dependent district close to Salina. However, come Sunday, he may add Super Bowl down decide to his resume.

The Jay native is considered the primary citizen of the Cherokee Nation and the second Indigenous particular person to officiate the Super Bowl. The first was Chickasaw Nation citizen Mike Weatherford, who was on the referee crew for Super Bowl XLV greater than a decade in the past.

Members of the Super Bowl’s eight-man referee crew are the highest-rated officers at their place based mostly on analysis system that grades their calls at video games throughout the season. Additionally, to even be thought of, a referee has to have labored within the league for at the least 5 seasons, together with calling playoff video games.

Phillips started officiating NFL video games in 2016 after six years calling collegiate video games, beginning with Division II’s Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association and dealing his manner as much as Division I. He bought his begin as a referee virtually 30 years in the past by officiating youth soccer in Jay as a solution to earn extra cash whereas attending Northeastern State University.

Phillips was not accessible for remark previous to Sunday’s sport. In a ready assertion, Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. congratulated him for being the tribe’s first citizen to officiate the Super Bowl.

“Cherokee Nation citizens continue to succeed in many different roles and industries across the world, and that includes the realm of professional sports,” Hoskin mentioned. “The Cherokee Nation is extremely proud of Jerod for becoming the first official to represent the tribe in a Super Bowl. This is one of many accomplishments he has already garnered in an outstanding professional career.”

Video: Kristin Chenoweth promotes 988 psychological well being lifeline throughout Super Bowl advertisements