Longtime NFL Official Carl Madsen Dies After Chiefs vs. Titans Game

Carl Madsen, 71, died Sunday on the way home from officiating the Week 7 matchup between the Chiefs and Titans.

Longtime NFL referee Carl Madsen died on Sunday on the way home from officiating the Week 7 matchup between the Chiefs and Titans. He was 71 years old. 

Madsen spent the last 12 years as a replay official and before that spent 12 years as a field official. 

"Carl Madsen was an NFL officiating fixture for more than two decades, first as a highly-respected on-field official before transitioning to a replay role in 2009,” NFL senior vice president Walt Anderson said in a statement. “A terrific friend and colleague, Carl’s love of football and dedication to officiating was ever-present, as he generously shared his time to mentor young officials at clinics across the country. A veteran of the Air Force, Carl had a tremendous spirit and will be greatly missed.”

Terrible news: A longtime member of the NFL officiating family, replay official Carl Madsen, passed away tragically Sunday while en route home from the Kansas City-Tennessee game. He was 71. pic.twitter.com/aX5dVAGNKl

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 25, 2021

In a statement, NFL Referees Association president Scott Green spoke to Madsen's beloved standing among his peers. 

“Carl will be missed by those who worked with him on the field and in replay,” Green said. “He had a nickname among his fellow officials of “Big Country” which was not only related to his size but to his big personality as a warm and generous man.”

Madsen served in the U.S. Air Force from 1973-76. His cause of death is unclear.