(Bob Falcetti/Getty Images).
My history month articles aim to highlight underappreciated groups of individuals who significantly influence the NFL. Often men of color, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals contribute hugely to the sport but often are not properly acknowledged.
It’s truly a shame because we could grow so much faster and more efficiently if we embraced the unique perspective and knowledge base that all individuals can bring to the sport. In honor of the mission we have to bring awareness to these critical members of the NFL society, let me introduce you to Johnny Grier. The first Black referee in the NFL.
Meet NFL Referee Johnny Grier
If you haven’t met Johnny Grier yet, you are probably not alone. The first black NFL referee was not a bold personality. Let me tell you about some of the things Mr. Grier was, though. He was a devoted husband while married, a loving father to his son Lowell, and a dedicated referee.
The future first black NFL referee was born in 1947 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Historically, North Carolina was one of the most residentially segregated cities in the United States. Things didn’t change much until the Civil Rights movement that put things into law in 1964. Even then, things still were incredibly segregated. They still struggle with that now. Grier didn’t talk about his history that I could find, but this provides some context around the unfair environment he was born in. Life would be difficult for a young Johnny.
Education and Career
We don’t know much about Grier’s family growing up. They did move to the DMV at some point during Johnny’s childhood. He attended both high school (Paul Lawrence Dunbar) and college (University of the District of Columbia) in the DMV. Grier’s entire career was officiating from his 18th birthday (1965) to his retirement.
Johnny Grier’s career began as a high school officiator at his alma mater from 1965 to 1972. He also was a college-level officiator from ’72 to ’81 for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). At that point, Grier moved on to the NFL. The officiator was a field judge for seven seasons in the professional league. In 1988 he became the first black NFL referee and later became a supervising referee.
At some point during his career, Johnny Grier was in the Air Force where it appears he received further officiating experience that helped further his endeavors. It’s unclear when he was in the service and most timelines of his life completely leave out that detail.
In 2004 Johnny Grier retired. All sources indicate that it is in result of an accumulation of leg injuries that made it impossible for him to continue work. I was unable to get more details on what those leg injuries were and how they came to be. However, we know that players, NFL staff, and team staff are at risk for taking a flying football player to the body at any point. It only makes sense that that would be even more dramatic in the 1980s to 2000s when focus on safety was even more limited then it is now.
A Side Note: Referee Hierarchy
I was vaguely aware that there were different types of officiators on the field that stood in different places and had slightly different jobs. I didn’t, however, know the names (I threw in baseball terms on accident), and I didn’t know what made all of the other crew members different from an NFL referee. Some of my audience is likely in the same boat, so we are going to break it down.
Every crew of officials has crew members categorized by a handful of names and a referee. The field judges stand in certain parts of the gridiron and monitor things. Some may have specific locations or may be watching a particular group of people, like counting so there’s not 12 players on the defense on any given play. In the case of the Kansas City Chiefs (except for the Super Bowl), the officials manufacture penalties for their friends.
Referees
The referee is the head honcho. He (and maybe someday she) oversees the overall flow of the game and has the final say on calls. This was an even bigger deal before instant replay was as detailed as it is now and before we had an entire crew in New York to send calls off to.
Essentially, a Black man was telling the rest of the officiating crew, team and NFL staff, and all players what was up. In some pictures, some players look confused by it. Possibly irritated. They probably weren’t used to having an African American individual in such power over them. I won’t call them out since I can’t verify that those were the emotions of those players, but it still left me feeling smug at their facial expressions. It’s a bit like when a head coach looks uncomfortable with female officials and would prefer swearing at one of the men on the crew instead.
Milestones
As stated above, it was a huge deal that a Black male was a referee. It’s shameful that it took until 1988 for that to happen. However, considering the ban on African Americans in the league until 1946 and ‘separate but equal’ water fountains, stores, seats in the bus, etc., until 1964, it’s possibly not as surprising as one might think.
While Grier was an NFL referee, he got to see Black excellence elsewhere on the gridiron. He saw the first Black head coach since Fitz Pollard in the 1920s, Art Shell, debut his talent. As a field judge, he saw the first Black QB to both start and win the Super Bowl in 1988. That would be Doug Williams for all our people who need to do a little more studying. Why this all had to happen in the late 1980s is beyond me, but we will celebrate nonetheless.
Retirement and End Of Life
Johnny Grier still worked after 2004. He was the officiating supervisor for the NFL for an unclear period of time and then went on to do a similar role for the PAC-12. He officially retired in 2021 at 73. Even after that, he helped out the MEAC with supervising in his final year of life.
Just one year later, the mold breaker passed away in the DMV at 74 (Pasadena, Maryland), leaving behind his son Lowell. He died after a long, meaningful career doing what he loved in the place where he loved. He made an impact on officiating at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. A job well done.
Legacy of An Black NFL Referee
Besides making a lasting impression on his family and other people in his life that mattered to him most, Johnny Grier also made quite an imprint on football with his career. He made critical moves like creating the college-to-NFL referee pipeline more solidified. Grier also paved the way for many Black referees to come behind him, who were motivated by his bravery to do it first. He hired the first female, who was a Black woman, to officiate a Division 1 football game in 2001. And my favorite impact—forcing the American people to be ready for a Black man to be in such an esteemed place of leadership in the 1980s.
Grier was a man with focus. He committed himself to the craft and prided himself on being the best officiator he can be. Even post-retirement he would call friends commenting on bad plays in the NFL out of a desire to help others and improve calls. Lord knows he had his hands and phone line tangled up most Monday nights, Thursday nights, and Sundays these last years trying to right all the wrongs. I just know the Chief’s ref ball situation cooked his grits.
In Conclusion
His son had some beautiful quotes about his character that we will use to send this article out. We can talk about Johnny Grier and his beautiful career as a trendsetter in the NFL until we’re blue in the face, but ultimately his son’s words deserve to be the last thing you read when talking about his tremendous father. Those quotes include:
“Growing up, I remember him putting everything in a clothes bag, making sure his uniform was intact. He had me polishing his shoes. His brass belt buckle had to be shined up. I remember the rules and regulations books that would come in the mail, video tapes that would come from DHL at the time. Tapes were all over the house. … My mother and I just could not get around it.”
When referring to his father being the first Black referee, Lowell said this about his father: “He did not brag about it. It just wasn’t in his heart to brag about it. What mattered to him was being successful and putting his name out there, showing the NFL what he could do.”
And “He had a sense of, ‘I’ve been fortunate but it’s not just about me. Let me bring people along’ and that was especially big for African Americans in officiating at that time.”
Thank you for sharing your father with us, Lowell Grier.
