Frederick "Fritz" Graf (December 28, 1922 – November 29, 2017) was a
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) official. He officiated for twenty three years including four
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
s (V, VIII, XV & XVIII). He was involved in playoff games in 21 out of 23 years as an official. The most memorable game that he officiated was the "
Ice Bowl" in 1967, which was the championship game between the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
and the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
to determine who was going to the Super Bowl. The weather was so cold () that Fritz's whistle froze to his lips. The whistle can now be found in the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...
in
Canton, OH. He wore the uniform number 34 (except from 1979 to 1981, when officials were numbered by position, he wore number 7), later worn by referees
Gerald Austin and
Clete Blakeman.
[Akron native Fritz Graf, 90, readies for Super Bowl, an event he officiated in four times](_blank)
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Early life
Graf was born and grew up in Akron, Ohio
Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...
, graduating from St. Vincent High School in 1940. He then graduated from Midshipmen School NW University in Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, IL as an officer in the Navy. He eventually ended up in Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
where he was the officer in charge of recreation in Waikiki Beach, HI. He married his high school sweetheart, Rita, August 10, 1946, at Sacred Heart Church in Honolulu
Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
, Hawaii. Together they had ten children.
Career
Graf started officiating high school games in 1945 and eventually worked his way to college and then the NFL in 1960.Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
and Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
on October 11, 1970, at Municipal Stadium. The Browns overcame an early 10–0 deficit and won 30–27.
Graf retired from officiating after Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion and defending Super Bowl XVII champion 1983 Washington Redskins season, Washington Redskins and t ...
in 1984, but continued to work with the NFL as an instant replay official for many years. Fritz states that the perfect ending to his career was when he ran out onto the field for Super Bowl XVIII and saw his wife and his children cheering him on, joined by others.
Graf's number 34 was taken by Gerald Austin following his retirement. Clete Blakeman, the referee for Super Bowl 50
Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) ...
, currently wears it.
Many notable officials worked with Graf including Ben Dreith
Ben Dreith (February 1, 1925April 25, 2021) was an American professional football on-field official who worked from 1960 to 1969 in the American Football League (AFL) and from 1970 to 1990 in the National Football League (NFL). Prior to his te ...
, Tom Kelleher, Tommy Bell, and Jerry Markbreit
Jerry Markbreit (born March 23, 1935) is a former American football referee in the National Football League (NFL) for 23 seasons and became one of the most recognizable referees in the game. Markbreit officiated football games for 33 seasons. ...
.
Graf died on November 29, 2017, surrounded by family. He was the oldest living NFL official.Obituary: Longtime NFL official and St. Vincent grad Fritz Graf dies at 94
/ref>
References
External links
Reddit AMA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graf, Fritz
1922 births
2017 deaths
NFL officials
Sportspeople from Akron, Ohio
St. Vincent–St. Mary High School alumni
Northwestern University alumni
United States Navy personnel of World War II