Jerome Boger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jerome Boger
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Boger working the September 17, 2006 Oakland Raiders-Baltimore Ravens game.
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Jerome Leonard Boger
July 1, 1955 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
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| Education | Morehouse College |
| Occupation | NFL official (2004–2022) |
Jerome Leonard Boger (born July 1, 1955) is a former American football official who worked in the National Football League (NFL). He was an NFL official from 2004 to 2022. You might have seen him wearing uniform number 23 since 2006. Before that, he wore number 109.
Jerome Boger started in the NFL as a line judge. After just two seasons, he was promoted to a referee in 2006. He was one of two new referees that year. Boger also became the third African-American referee in the NFL. The first was Johnny Grier in 1988, and the second was Mike Carey in 1995.
Jerome Boger's Early Life and Family
Jerome Boger played quarterback in college. He was a four-year starter at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from college in 1977.
Jerome knew he wasn't quite good enough to play professional football. So, he decided to become an official instead. This way, he could stay close to the game he loved. He started by working high school and local league games. Then, he moved up to officiating for smaller colleges. He spent 11 years in one college conference and five seasons in another.
Jerome Boger has a son named Tra Boger. Tra also played football and was signed by the Green Bay Packers in 2006. Later, Tra played in the Canadian Football League. Today, Tra Boger is also an NFL official, working as a line judge, just like his dad started!
Jerome Boger lives in Conyers, Georgia. When he wasn't officiating football games, he worked for Allstate Insurance in Atlanta.
Jerome Boger's Officiating Career
Before joining the NFL, Jerome Boger was a referee in other football leagues. He worked in Conference USA, the Arena Football League, and NFL Europa. He even officiated a championship game called World Bowl XIV in NFL Europe.
Jerome Boger was promoted to an NFL referee in 2006. This was a big step in his career.
He was the referee for a game between the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans in 2006. During that game, a Titans player named Albert Haynesworth was ejected. He was suspended for five games after the incident. This was the longest suspension for something that happened on the field at that time.
Boger also worked a famous Monday Night game in 2006. In that game, the Chicago Bears made an amazing comeback to beat the Arizona Cardinals.
Jerome Boger was chosen to be the referee for Super Bowl XLVII. This huge game was held in New Orleans on February 3, 2013. He was only the second African-American referee to work a Super Bowl. Mike Carey was the first, five years earlier. Being chosen for the Super Bowl is a huge honor for an official! Boger was also an alternate referee for Super Bowl XLV in 2011.
Retirement
On March 2, 2023, Jerome Boger announced that he was retiring from officiating in the NFL. He had a long and successful career.
