I wasn’t the only one to notice that this year’s head official for SuperBowl 50 Clete Blakeman was easy on the eyes!
#HotRef #SB50 pic.twitter.com/hW60UOOvrd
— Andy Cohen (@Andy) February 8, 2016
#HotRef started trending soon after the game began thanks to the tweet from Bravo TV star Andy Cohen, and the googling for information on the ref continued into today.
Here is what we know from FoxSports who profiled Cletus W. “CLETE” Blakeman shortly after the announcement was made.
https://youtu.be/rqNjnwGnfIY
According to Wikipedia:
Blakeman started his football career as a backup quarterback for the University of Nebraska from 1984 to 1987. In 2008, Blakeman became a field judge, according to Pro Football References. He was promoted to referee in 2010, and worked his way to being the head referee at the 2016 Super Bowl. Outside of the NFL, Blakeman is a partner in the law firm of Carlson & Burnett in Omaha.
Is it a little creepy that I looked him up on Twitter (@CBNFL34) and checked to see if you can date him? (That’s a big NO because he is married with two kids). But did you know being known as #HotRef is better than his previous reputation as #NoFlip guy two weeks ago, when he couldn’t get the official game coin to flip!
The Twin Cities had more than one resident ref an NFL game. Bloomington’s Craig Patrick has worked as a replacement official when not teaching PE at Normal West HS, and Doug Rosenbaum of Normal has been a full time NFL official since 2001. (They are both future #hotref candidates IMHO)
