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USA Football's Tony Michalek Named to Super Bowl XLII Officiating Crew

Craig Thomas, USA Football Staff

January 30, 2008


USA Football's Director of Officiating Tony Michalek has been named to the Super Bowl XLII officiating crew the NFL announced on Wednesday.

Michalek will be the umpire in Sunday's game between the New England Patriots and New York Giants at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Referee Mike Carey will lead the seven-man crew. The other members of the Super Bowl XLII officiating crew are Gary Slaughter (head linesman), Carl Johnson (line judge), Boris Cheek (field judge), Larry Rose (side judge), and Scott Helverson (back judge). The Super Bowl XLII officiating crew collectively has 71 years of NFL officiating experience and 43 combined postseason game assignments

Under the NFL officiating program's evaluation system, the highest-rated officials at each position with the appropriate experience earn the right to work the Super Bowl. Super Bowl officials must have five years of NFL experience and previous playoff assignments.

Michalek has been an NFL umpire for six years and was part of the seven man crew in last year's AFC Championship game.

In 2002 the Chicago-area native was selected by the NFL from 3000 applicants to join the 120 member staff. He officiated in NFL Europe for four seasons, working the 2003 World Bowl in Scotland. Prior to the NFL, Michalek officiated in at the Division I college level with the Big Ten for five seasons, earning the honor of working the 2002 Cotton Bowl and 2000 Fiesta Bowl.

Since 2006 Tony Michalek and USA Football officiating consultant and the Big 10's number one-graded Bill LeMonnier have made 50 officiating across the country. Through these presentations the USA Football officiating duo has directly reached 7,000 of the 55,000 football officials in the Untied States, serving approximately 4.5 million youth and high school players.

On the evening of Friday, Feb. 1 Michalek and LeMonnier will lead the third annual USA Football Super Bowl officiating seminar at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, drawing officials from six states for a night of officiating education and career development.