The incumbent community has lost a titan.

Jim Tunney, commonly known as the Dean of Umpires, died peacefully at his home in Pebble Beach, California, on Thursday, according to published reports. Tunney was 95 years old. At the time of his death he was the second oldest living official.

Tunney was one of only eight officials recognized as having officiated for more than 30 years and officiating approximately 444 NFL games on the field, an estimate of Soccer zebras And Bizarre research due to gaps in game records in the 1960s. His 31-year NFL career began in 1960 after he declined an invitation to join the startup AFL. He was a field judge throughout the 1966 season and served as an umpire until his retirement in 1990.

It wasn’t just his longevity, but Tunney was also one of the most respected voices when it came to officiating. His experiences were extensive, starting with a controversial call in a one-game playoff in 1965 between the Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore Colts.

As the field judge and the only official at the goal post, Tunney had to decide the field goal to win the Western Conference title. After the two-minute warning, Packers kicker Don Chandler lowered his head after his field goal attempt to break the stalemate appeared to sail wide left. However, the referee, standing in the back of the end zone, raised his hands to confirm that the field goal had been scored.

Back then, the H-style goal post was used and placed on the goal line. Tunney, the field referee for the playoff game, positioned himself behind the uprights in the end zone and with Chandler’s direct kick, he was able to designate the upright closer to the snap hash mark. The ball flew over the height of the posts and Tunney had to determine from 10 meters whether the ball was inside or outside the goal plane. The film evidence was inconclusive because the camera was further back. There were no changes to the rules this offseason, but the NFL moved to the slingshot post, made the posts 10 feet taller and two officials are now under each post.

The job most people would ask Tunney about is not his three Super Bowls (VI and in consecutive seasons XI and XII). It’s not his 8 championship games that he managed. Of his 19 postseason appearances, it was a divisional playoff game from Soldier Field that very few people saw.

The 1988 divisional playoff between the Eagles and Bears, known as the Fog Bowl, was another challenge for the veteran referee. At the two-minute warning in the first half, fog rolled over Lake Michigan and covered Soldier Field. What should Tunney do? He checked with league officials throughout the game, and a break in play was considered but not implemented. Both coaches were content to move forward, even if they couldn’t see what they wanted. To assist, Tunney announced the descent and distance, occasionally adding details such as incomplete passes. They could see the goal posts and the game clock, and so the game continued, although only those on the field have the only memory of what actually happened.

The league had a responsibility to explain the series of decisions after the game. The procedure then, and still in place today, is for the referee and match official to meet with a local reporter, who shares a transcript of the pool report with the rest of the media. In a sign of the great confidence the league had in Tunney’s abilities, they went one step further. “As soon as we returned to our locker room, the phone rang,” Tunney wrote on the game’s 30th anniversary. “It was NFL vice president of communications Joe Browne who told me not to take off my uniform because CBS reporter Will McDonough wanted to question me about why we continued to play in these unusual conditions.” Tunney also did an interview for NBC’s pregame second playoff game of the day.

Tunney retired after the 1990 season and worked as an observer and coach for decades. Through his many years of leadership on the field, he was a very accomplished speaker, wrote frequent columns on sportsmanship and teamwork, and is the author of five books.

He was admired by many, but perhaps this is a sign that he earned great respect from former Raiders coach John Madden. In 1990, he was the first official named to the All-Madden team, an annual honor since Madden’s days at CBS. He received lifetime achievement awards from the National Association of Sports Officials (Golden Whistle Award) and the NFL Officials Department (Art McNally Award). He has been nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame several times, but has not yet appeared on the final ballot.

In retirement, he was still reminded by Don Shula, the Colts’ coach in 1965, that he thought Tunney’s decision was wrong. Tunney told him: “It has been (several) years now. Let it go. Let it go.” Shula was the first to endorse one of Tunney’s books, saying, “I don’t know anyone more qualified to write about character, leadership and values ​​than Jim Tunney.”

He even made Shula change his attitude.