Art McNally, the Father of Instant Replay in the NFL, dies at 97
Follow Us
Art McNally, the first NFL official to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, departed aged 97. On Monday, his son, Tom McNally, informed the media that the former NFL referee died due to natural causes at a hospital near his hometown in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
The former NFL official will be best remembered for his immense contribution to modernizing American football. He brought several new changes in the officiating of the games we now see. McNally has been an on-field official for almost half a century and was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame less than five months before his death.
McNally’s legacy in the NFL has been forever etched in the history books for bringing in Instant Replay and several changes in the officiation of games. The NFL community is deeply saddened by his demise and poured in their love and condolences for the bereaved family.
NFL community grief struck with the demise of Hall of Fame official Art McNally
Art McNally’s legacy might have shaped the future of the current and upcoming NFL games. He was born in Philadelphia on July 1, 1925. A Temple graduate, he was also a World War II veteran, serving in the US Marine Corps. This is where he first got his first stint in refereeing as he officiated a game amongst service personnel. At that time, he was chosen for this role, as he was deemed a man with the most integrity to do justice to this job.
Jim Porter, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, says, “To see Art’s decades of service recognized with his enshrinement as part of the Class of 2022 was a special moment for the Hall. His legacy as a strong leader who helped usher in the advanced training of officials and the technology necessary to keep up with a faster and more complicated game will be preserved forever in Canton.”
Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, has also expressed his grief for McNally’s passing, saying, “Art Mcnally was an extraordinary man, the epitome of integrity and class. Throughout his distinguished career, he earned the eternal respect of the entire football community. Fittingly, he was the first game official enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. But more importantly, he was a Hall of Fame person in absolutely every way.”
McNally also promoted Johnny Grier, the first Black official, to the referee position in 1988. McNally’s impact on the league and the football game can be seen forever immortalized with the officiating command center at the NFL headquarters renamed ‘Art McNally GameDay Central’.
Indeed, fans and players will forever feel his impact and presence in NFL games owing to his immaculate legacy.
Do follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Stay Updated!
Siddid Dey Purkayastha
(528 Articles Published)