Art McNally
Encyclopedia
Art McNally is a former Director of Officiating for the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1990. Before becoming Director of Officiating, McNally served as a field judge and referee in the NFL for nine years from 1959 to 1967. During a 22 year span, he officiated over 3,000 football
, baseball
, and basketball
games, which included one year in the National Basketball Association
(NBA).
McNally is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and a graduate of Temple University
in Philadelphia. McNally was a teacher and coach in the Philadelphia school district until his appointment as the NFL's Supervisor of Officials in 1968.
As NFL Director of Officiating, McNally headed a department of five men who coordinated and directed a staff of 112 game officials. He was responsible for the scouting, screening, hiring and grading of the seven man crews that work each NFL game. He was succeeded by Jerry Seeman
in 1990.
After retiring as Director of Officiating, McNally accepted the position as Supervisor of Officials for the World League of American Football
in December 1991, a position he held for the 1992 season, but continued to serve as a League Consultant and Game Observer thereafter.
McNally returned to the NFL front office in 1996 to work as an Assistant Supervisor of Officials, a position he currently continues to serve in.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
games, which included one year in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA).
McNally is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and a graduate of Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in Philadelphia. McNally was a teacher and coach in the Philadelphia school district until his appointment as the NFL's Supervisor of Officials in 1968.
As NFL Director of Officiating, McNally headed a department of five men who coordinated and directed a staff of 112 game officials. He was responsible for the scouting, screening, hiring and grading of the seven man crews that work each NFL game. He was succeeded by Jerry Seeman
Jerry Seeman
Jerry Seeman was an American football official in the National Football League from 1975 to 1990 and was the NFL's Senior Director of Officiating from 1991 to 2001, succeeding Art McNally...
in 1990.
After retiring as Director of Officiating, McNally accepted the position as Supervisor of Officials for the World League of American Football
World League of American Football
The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
in December 1991, a position he held for the 1992 season, but continued to serve as a League Consultant and Game Observer thereafter.
McNally returned to the NFL front office in 1996 to work as an Assistant Supervisor of Officials, a position he currently continues to serve in.
Accomplishments and honors
- Oversaw the first instant replayInstant replayInstant replay is the replaying of video footage of an event or incident very soon after it has occurred. In television broadcasting of sports events, instant replay is often used during live broadcast, to show a passage of play which was important or remarkable, or which was unclear on first...
system in the NFL beginning with the 1986 season1986 NFL seasonThe 1986 NFL season was the 67th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXI when the New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos to win their first league title in 30 years.-Major rule changes:...
. This system was used until the conclusion of the 1991 season1991 NFL seasonThe 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills....
. - Enshired to the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, 1987.
- First recipient of the Gold Whistle Award, National Association of Sports Officials, 1988.
- NFL Commissioner Paul TagliabuePaul TagliabuePaul John Tagliabue is a former Commissioner of the National Football League. He took the position in 1989 and was succeeded by Roger Goodell, who was elected to the position on August 8, 2006. Tagliabue's retirement took effect on September 1, 2006. He had previously served as a lawyer for the NFL...
created the Art McNally AwardArt McNally AwardThe Art McNally Award is an annual award created in 2002 by then–National Football League Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and given to an NFL game official who exhibits exemplary professionalism, leadership, and commitment to sportsmanship on and off the field...
to annually honor an NFL game official who exhibits exemplary professionalism, leadership and commitment to sportsmanship on and off the field. This award is presented at the Pro BowlPro BowlIn professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
in HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, 2002. - Recipient of the Reds Bagnell Award, Maxwell Football Club, 2004.
External links
- Art McNally - NFL Football Officials Camps, LLC. (Accessed August 6, 2006).