Johnny Grier, NFL’s First Black Referee, Has Died at 74

Grier worked in the NFL for over two decades.

Johnny Grier, the NFL’s first Black referee, has died at the age of 74.

NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent confirmed the news on Twitter Wednesday.

A North Carolina native and University of D.C. graduate, Grier got his start as a high school referee in 1965 when he was 18. He later moved onto college football in 1972, according to Football Zebras.

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Grier joined the NFL’s officiating ranks as a field judge in 1981 and worked Super Bowl XXII following the 1987 season. He was promoted to referee the following year in 1988, becoming the first Black man to hold the position in the NFL. 

Over the course of his career, Grier worked 15 playoff games. He led an officiating crew during the 1993 AFC Championship game and was on the field for the debut of Art Shell, the modern NFL’s first Black head coach.

Grier’s officiating career came to an abrupt end in 2004, when a leg injury forced him him to retire from the profession. He went on to serve as officiating supervisor for the NFL and supervisor of officials for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.