Post by jdodez on Apr 27, 2015 22:16:26 GMT -5
Hi Fred,
Thanks for the invitation to share some memories. There have been a lot of really great guys who have passed through the NFL working as officials, and I'd love for more of their stories to be told.
To provide a little personal background, my father was Ray Dodez, who grew up in northern Ohio. He played football in high school for the Massillon Tigers, the high school team coached by Paul Brown in the pre-WWII years (before my dad attended, but part of the school's heritage). From there he went on to nearby Wooster College, where he also played football. He became interested in officiating when he was in his 20's just starting a family, and gained experience in the 1950's officiating high school games in Ohio. In the early 1960's, the United Football League, semi-pro league was formed in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and my dad was the supervisor of officials between 1961 and 1964, when the league folded. Following the UFL he went on to work college games in Ohio, primarily for the regional leagues like the Mid American Conference (MAC).
In 1966, the NFL agreed to merge with the new AFL league. The AFL was looking for officials and called my father for recommendations, and then suggest he fill out the application as well. He did, and was hired as an AFL official in 1968, at age 37. NFL official Fritz Graf, another Ohio native with similar roots to my dad (Fritz lived in Akron), became his mentor in the process and let him know that the AFL was a good path to becoming an NFL official, following the planned merger in 1970.
The AFL was a great assignment, and my dad worked with some of the legendary officials of the era. But the real excitement laid ahead following the 1970 merger of the AFL and the NFL. I'm not sure how the "behind the scenes" maneuvering worked but I have no doubt that Fritz Graf was an influential guy in the NFL, and when the leagues came together, my father found his crew assignment to be with Fritz' crew, lead by the legendary referee, Tommy Bell.
Below is a crew picture from 1971. My father Ray Dodez on the left, followed by Royal Cathcart, Tommy Bell, Tom Kelleher, Fritz Graf, and George Kennard. I don't mean to say anything negative about any other NFL official, because I admire each and every one of them for their success in reaching the top of their profession, but I would argue this particular group must be considered amongst the NFL's greatest.
Tommy Bell was an NFL referee for 15 years from 1961 to 1976, working eight NFL championship games and Super Bowl III (NY Jets vs Baltimore, which the Jets won giving credibility to the “upstart” AFL teams) and Super Bowl VII (Miami vs Washington, which Miami won for the NFL’s only perfect season). He was the only man to referee in both a Super Bowl and an NCAA Final Four (1959). A legendary official, and a wonderfully warm person who was universally respected by coaches and liked by the people who knew him. When I was kid, Tommy Bell was my super hero. The games couldn't happen without him, and when he was there, nobody had any doubt who was in control.
Tom Kelleher was an NFL line judge for 28 years from 1960 to 1987, working five Super Bowls (IV, VII, XI, XV, XIX). I don’t have records from the 1960s, but know Tom spent at least 7 years on Tommy Bell’s crew (69-76), and the last 11 seasons of his career on Jerry Markbreit’s crew. Tom was another genuinely warm human being, who was totally professional, but brought a wry sense of humor to the field. Working 5 Super Bowls, Tom's one of the best that's ever been.
Fritz Graf -- NFL field judge for 23 seasons; worked four Super Bowl games (V, VIII, XV, XVIII), the first AFL championship game in 1960 and the 1967 “Ice Bowl” between Dallas and Green Bay; later served as an NFL replay official. Fritz and his lovely wife Rita had 12 children that they raised in a relatively small house in Akron, Ohio. He was my father's mentor and closest confidant in the NFL, from the time he joined the league until the day he retired. There aren't enough good words out there to describe this wonderful man, and equally his wonderful wife.
Ray Dodez, my father, was an AFL official in 1968-69, moving on to the NFL when the leagues merged in 1970. He officiated in the AFL/NFL for 24 seasons between 1968 and 1992, working on Tommy Bell's crew from 1970-76, and with Jerry Markbreit his first two years as a referee from 1977 to 1978.
