Bill Leavy Dies at Age 76; Former NFL Referee Officiated in Super Bowls 34 and 40

Bill Leavy, who refereed two Super Bowls during his 19-year career as an NFL official, has died at 76 years old.

"Bill was an outstanding official and an even better man," said Walt Anderson, NFL senior vice president of officiating, in a statement provided to Football Zebras. "Always kind and thoughtful, Bill was instrumental in mentoring countless young officials throughout his career."

Leavy officiated the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV, the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL, and was the 2019 recipient of the NFL's Art McNally Award.

After retiring from his referee position in 2014, Leavy took a supervisory role in the NFL's officiating department, where he remained until his death.

Before joining the NFL, Leavy spent nearly 30 years as a police officer and firefighter in San Jose, California.

In his first regular-season game assignment as an NFL referee on September 23, 2001, just 12 days after the events of September 11, Leavy wore a San Francisco Fire Department hat during the coin toss to honor his former profession.

"There were a lot of things going on in my head," Leavy told Referee about that moment in 2006. "That was a special feeling."

Leavy officiated 16 postseason games in his career, including four wild-card games, nine divisional games, the 2013 AFC Championship and two Super Bowls, per Football Zebras.

When re-watching Mike Jones' championship-winning tackle for the Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV, Leavy can be seen yards away, wearing No. 127 on the sideline.

Leavy also officiated the 2006 Super Bowl, where he made two controversial fourth-quarter calls against the Seattle Seahawks in their championship loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Four years after the game, Leavy told reporters at Seahawks training camp that those calls "left me with a lot of sleepless nights."

"I know that I did my best at that time, but it wasn't good enough," Leavy said. "When we make mistakes you got to step up and own them."

The 2010 interview received positive responses from disappointed Seahawks coaches and players, who applauded Leavy for his honesty.

"His integrity earned him respect at every step of his football journey and the entire officiating community mourns his loss," Anderson said.