Lo van Pham Becomes 1st Asian American NFL Game Official

Lo van Pham will be the first Asian American game official in NFL history, per the Associated Press.

The NFL announced the hiring of 10 new game officials on Tuesday:

Pham comes from the Big 12 conference and will serve as a side judge in the NFL.

He was born in Vietnam and moved to the United States when he was seven years old. 

Pham also spent time in a refugee camp in the Philippines before moving with his family to Amarillo, Texas in 1979.

He joined the Big 12 as an official in 2015 and is now set to make history on the field in the NFL during the 2022 season.

Another notable addition to the officials is Mike Morton, who played in the NFL from 1995-2001. The former linebacker spent time with the Raiders, Rams, Packers and Colts, appearing in 103 regular-season games.

The 50-year-old will now work as an umpire, joining Nate Jones and Terry Killens among former players to become game officials.

Robin DeLorenzo will be the third woman working as an NFL game official after coming over from the Big Ten.