Former NFL Referee Ron Botchan Dies at Age 85; Worked Record-Tying 5 Super Bowls

Former NFL referee Ron Botchan died this week at the age of 85, the NFL Referees Association announced Thursday (via NFL Network's Tom Pelissero): 

Botchan served as an official for 22 years, working five Super Bowls in his career.

Botchan played two seasons in the NFL for the Los Angeles Chargers (1960) and Houston Oilers (1961) as a linebacker. He retired because of a knee injury and briefly worked as a coach before moving into officiating, serving as a referee for the Pac-8 in the 1970s. 

He joined the NFL officiating ranks in 1980 and was awarded a playoff game in his debut season. Per Mark Schultz of FootballZebras.com, the long-time umpire worked in five Super Bowls, eight conference title games and 25 postseason games overall. 

He served as an umpire coach and referee mentor after retiring from officiating. In 2019 he was awarded the Honoree Award from the NFL Referees Association for "on-field accomplishments and support of the NFLRA," per Schultz.

NFLRA executive director Scott Green said at the time:

"Ron exemplifies everything NFL officials strive to be. He had a stellar on-field career, one of the best at the umpire position as evidenced by his numerous postseason assignments. But his love for officiating is perhaps best illustrated by the years spent working with our newer officials on the finer details of the game. His selfless dedication to sharing his knowledge and expertise has benefited countless officials."

Only Bob Beeks, Jack Fette, Al Jury and Tom Kelleher have matched Botchan's five Super Bowl appearances as officials.