Burl Toler facts for kids

Burl Abron Toler Sr. (born May 9, 1928 – died August 16, 2009) was a very important person in American football. He worked as an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) for 25 seasons, from 1965 to 1989. He was a field judge and head linesman. Burl Toler is famous for being the first African-American official in the NFL.

He also worked at one Super Bowl, Super Bowl XIV in 1980. For most of his career, he wore uniform number 37. From 1979 to 1981, officials were numbered by their job, so he wore number 18 during those years. On April 21, 2008, Burl Toler Sr. was added to the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. Years after he passed away, on May 9, 2017, the University of San Francisco named one of its student dorms after him.

Playing Football in College

Burl Toler was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1928. He went to the University of San Francisco and played as a linebacker. Even though he was strong and athletic, Burl never played high school football in Memphis. But he quickly became a great player once he joined the team in the Bay Area.

While at City College of San Francisco, Toler played with Ollie Matson, who would later become a famous NFL player. Together, they helped their school win the Junior College National Championship in 1948. He was also part of the 1951 University of San Francisco football team that never lost a game. Three of his teammates from that team later became famous in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Gino Marchetti, Ollie Matson, and Bob St. Clair. Burl Toler earned his science degree from USF in 1952 and later got a Master’s degree in 1966.

Working in Professional Sports

His Professional Playing Career

The Cleveland Browns picked Burl Toler in the NFL draft. However, he hurt his knee badly during a college all-star game. This injury stopped him from playing professional football. Because of this, he decided to become an official instead. After he stopped being an NFL official in 1990, he worked for the league for eight years. His job was to watch games and help evaluate other officials.

His Professional Officiating Career

Burl Toler made history in 1965. He became the first African-American to work as a field official in a major American professional sports league. The NFL hired him as a head linesman before the 1965 season began.

Toler was the head linesman for the 1982 AFC Championship Game. This game was between the San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincinnati. The game was played in extremely cold weather. The air temperature was -9 degrees Fahrenheit (-23 degrees Celsius), but with the wind, it felt like -59 degrees Fahrenheit (-51 degrees Celsius)! This game is now known as the "Freezer Bowl" in NFL history. Burl Toler was also the first black person to be an official in Super Bowl history.

Life After Football

His Educational Career

Burl Toler worked for 17 years at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in San Francisco. He was a teacher there. Later, he became the school district's first African-American principal for a secondary school. The old Benjamin Franklin Middle School campus was renamed in his honor on October 22, 2006. Today, two charter schools use that campus.

Burl Toler also served on the Board of Trustees for his old college, the University of San Francisco. He was on the board from 1987 to 1998.

His Personal Life

Burl Toler got married in 1952 to his wife, Melvia. They had six children together. He also had eight grandchildren, two brothers, and one sister.

On April 17, 1950, Toler and Ollie Matson joined the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Burl Toler passed away in Castro Valley, California, on August 16, 2009.

His grandson, Burl Toler III, also played American football as a wide receiver. He signed with the San Jose Sabercats of the Arena Football League in 2006. He also spent some time on NFL team rosters between 2006 and 2008.