Sunday’s Super Bowl will have a distinct Michigan flavor, with former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford leading the Los Angeles Rams against the Cincinnati Bengals, and Detroit rapper Eminem performing in the halftime show.
You can add the game’s chief official to that list.
Ron Torbert, a Michigan State graduate who began his officiating career working high-school and little-league games in our state, will be the referee for Super Bowl LVI. This is the first Super Bowl for Torbert, who has been an NFL official since 2010.
“I am humbled and proud to have been named as the referee for Super Bowl LVI,” Torbert said after being named the game’s referee late last month. “Being named to this crew is very special to me because it’s validation of a lot of years and hard work and study.
“It means I have the opportunity to take the field in the biggest game in our sport.”
Torbert will lead a crew of eight officials in the game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, marking his 10th playoff game — including this year’s San Francisco 49ers 13-10 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Torbert, 58, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, attended Michigan State for undergraduate studies, earning a degree in 1985, before earning his law degree from Harvard in 1988.
His officiating career began in Michigan in 1989, with high-school games. Ten years later, he was working Division II games, mostly in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He worked a season in the Mid-American Conference before moving to the Big Ten for four seasons, from 2006-09, while also working one season in NFL Europe, in 2007. He then made the jump to the NFL, where he has a reputation for working on crews that call fewer than the average penalties per game.
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Walt Anderson, former NFL referee who now works in the league office, called him with the Super Bowl assignment, which is merit-based.
“A very special moment in my life, one that I will never forget,” Torbert said. “Certainly the highlight of an officiating career that started 33 years ago working high-school games and little-league games in Michigan.
“It’s been especially gratifying to see how my family has reacted to me being named for this game because they’ve been with me every step of the way through my officiating journey and they sacrificed a lot so that I can have this opportunity. I am thankful for this moment and thankful for everyone that helped me get here.”
NFL officials aren’t full-time. Most have other full-time jobs.
For Torbert, that was a lengthy and distinguished legal career, which included a stint from 2005-07 on the board of directors for the Legal Aid and Defender Association of Detroit. He was appointed to the Michigan Occupational Health Standards Commission. He was a partner at Dykema Gossett law firm in Detroit, before joining Southfield-based Barton Malow Company as vice president and general counsel in 2002. He retired from practicing law in 2019.
Torbert lives in Hanover, Maryland, with wife Melanie. The couple has two adult children and a grandson.
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He also has coached AAU basketball and volleyball, when he wasn’t practicing law or rising the NFL ranks.
“I’ve been preparing for this moment for more than 30 years,” Torbert said. “I didn’t always know that’s what I was doing, but every game that I’ve worked, every clinic, every training camp and practice that I’ve been a part of, every workout at the gym, every training and scouting video that I’ve ever watched, has helped me get ready for this game.
“I’ve been blessed to work with and be mentored by the very best officials in the world and I’ve learned something from each of them. I’ve learned how to be a student of the game as well as a student of officiating. I’ve learned the importance of being a rules expert, but also understanding how to apply the rules with common sense and fairness. And I’ve learned how to relate to coaches and players.
“I am looking forward to putting all that preparation together and taking the field with the fantastic crew that I’ve been assigned to lead.”
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tpaul@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @tonypaul1984