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Art McNally selected as Contributor Finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 (1 Viewer)

Yogibear

Footballguy
Art McNally, considered "The Father of Modern Officiating" in the NFL, was selected Tuesday as the Contributor Finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2022.  If elected when the Hall of Fame Selection Committee meets in early 2022, McNally would become the first on-field official with a Bronzed Bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

McNally, 96, is a graduate of Temple University.  He served with the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II.  "Officiating is critical every day for those who work in the game, and the most important part of officiating is integrity," said Bill Polian, a member of the Hall of Fame's Selection Committee and its Contributor Committee.  "Art McNally first and foremost is a man of utmost integrity. ... He set up a system of scouting, training, and evaluating officials that is the gold standard for every officiating group in every other sport."  McNally served as an NFL official for nine years (Field Judge, 1959; Referee, 1960-67) before he was hired as the NFL's Supervisor of Officials in 1968.  Upon his appointment, he installed the first formal program for training and evaluation of football officials in professional sports.  He eventually headed a department of five individuals who coordinated and directed a staff of 112 game officials.  He was responsible for the scouting, screening, hiring, and grading of the crews that worked each NFL game.  McNally is credited with bringing technology to NFL officiating and introduced the highest level of training for the officials by using video and techniques that NFL teams used with players.  He introduced an instant replay system to the NFL in 1986, and through his leadership, instant replay has become an accepted and integral part of the game that has spread to all major sports in America.   He retired from the NFL in 1991, then accepted a position as Supervisor of Officials for the World League of American Football in 1992.  At the same time, he continued to serve as an NFL consultant through 1994.  In 1995, McNally returned to the NFL office to work as an Assistant Supervisor of Officials during each football season and continued in that capacity until 2007.  He remained an observer of League games through 2015, working with officials on a weekly basis.  Commissioner Paul Tagliabue created the Art McNally Award in 2002 to annually honor an NFL game official who exhibits "exemplary professionalism, leadership and commitment to sportsmanship" on and off the field.  McNally received the Pro Football Hall of Fame's "Ralph Hay Pioneer Award" in 2012.

Does everyone think Art McNally will be the first official to be inducted in Canton in 2022? 

 

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