Jerome Boger (born c. 1955) is an American football official in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 (NFL) since the 2004 NFL season

2004 NFL season

The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...

. He wears uniform number 23 since 2006

2006 NFL season

The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...

; before that, he wore uniform number 109. He started in the league as a line judge and was promoted to referee in 2006 after two seasons. Along with Gene Steratore

Gene Steratore

Gene Steratore is an American football official in the National Football League since 2003. He began in the league as a field judge and was promoted to referee at the start of the 2006 NFL season, one of two new referees for that season, following the retirements of Bernie Kukar and Tom White...

, he is one of two new referees for 2006, replacing retired officials Bernie Kukar

Bernie Kukar

Bernie Kukar is a former American football official in the National Football League for 22 seasons from the 1984 to the 2005 season. He wore uniform number 86....

 and Tom White

Tom White (American football official)

Tom White was an American football official in the United States Football League from 1983-1986 and then National Football League for seventeen seasons from the 1989 to 2005 seasons. He started in the league as a head linesman and was promoted to referee with the start of the 1990 NFL season. He...

. Boger became the third African-American referee in the NFL after Johnny Grier

Johnny Grier

Johnny Grier was an American football official for 23 years in the National Football League from 1981 to 2004. He began in the NFL as a field judge before becoming the first African-American referee in the history of the NFL with the start of the 1988 NFL season...

 (1988

1988 NFL season

The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. The Cardinals relocated from St. Louis, Missouri to the Phoenix, Arizona area becoming the Phoenix Cardinals but remained in the NFC East division....

), who previously wore uniform number 23, and Mike Carey (1995

1995 NFL season

The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...

).

Personal

Boger played quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 at Morehouse College

Morehouse College

Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....

 in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

 and was a four year starter. Realizing that he did not have the football

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...

 skills to make it on a professional level, he decided to get into officiating, allowing him to stay close to the game. He started working high school and recreational league games before moving up to small colleges. He spent 11 years in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is a College athletic conference consisting of historically black colleges and universities located in the southern United States. Formed in 1913, the SIAC is a member of the NCAA and participates in Division II athletics...

 and five seasons in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is a collegiate athletic conference of historically black colleges and universities in the Southeastern United States...

 from 1996 to 2000.

Boger has a son, Tra Boger

Tra Boger

Trawick Jerome "Tra" Boger is a defensive back for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League and former American football defensive back in the National Football League...

, that plays defensive back

Defensive back

In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...

 in the Canadian Football League

Canadian Football League

The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....

.

Boger resides in Conyers, Georgia

Conyers, Georgia

Conyers is the only city in Rockdale County, Georgia, USA. It is twenty-four miles east of Atlanta. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,689. Census estimates of 2005 indicate a population of 12,205. The city is the county seat of Rockdale County. By 2009, the reported population was...

. Outside of officiating, he is an underwriter for Allstate Insurance

Allstate

The Allstate Corporation is the second-largest personal lines insurer in the United States and the largest that is publicly held. The company also has personal lines insurance operations in Canada. Allstate was founded in 1931 as part of Sears, Roebuck and Co., and was spun off in 1993...

 in Atlanta.

Officiating career

Boger has also served as a referee in Conference USA

Conference USA

Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...

, Arena Football League, and NFL Europe (where he officiated in World Bowl XIV

World Bowl XIV

World Bowl XIV was NFL Europe's 2006 championship game. It was played at the LTU Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany on Saturday, May 27, 2006.The game was between the 7-3 Frankfurt Galaxy and the defending World Bowl Champion Amsterdam Admirals . 36,286 people were in attendance, as the Galaxy stripped...

).

Boger's 2011 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Carl Paganelli

Carl Paganelli

Carl Paganelli is an American football official in the National Football League since the 1999 NFL season, who wears uniform number 124. As an umpire, Paganelli is notable for working two Super Bowls, Super Bowl XXXIX and Super Bowl XLI, in a span of three years. He has two brothers who...

, head linesman Jerry Bergman, line judge Tom Stephan, field judge Doug Rosenbaum, side judge Joe Larrew and back judge Tony Steratore

Tony Steratore

Tony Steratore is a back judge in the National Football League since the 2000 NFL season, who wears uniform number 112, and is on the officiating crew headed by referee Jerome Boger. Referee Gene Steratore Jr. is his younger brother. His father, Gene Steratore Sr., was an official in both college...

.