Art McNally, the “father of instant replay” and the first game official inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, died at 97 of natural causes at a Pennsylvania hospital near his home Sunday, his son said Monday in a statement from the hall.
McNally was an NFL official for nine seasons, first serving as a field judge in 1959 and then as a referee from 1960 to 1967. In 1968, he became the NFL supervisor of officials where he created the first training and evaluation film study program for officiating members in professional sports. Under his leadership, McNally brought technology to the officiating ranks of the NFL and he would eventually introduce instant replay to the league.
Hopefully nobody is even going to know you’re around. Make the calls the proper way, the way they should be, with a heavy dose of common sense,” he said. Jim Porter, president of the Pro Football Hall of Fame said in the statement that McNally was a “quiet, honest man of integrity.” “His legacy as a strong leader who helped usher in the advanced training of officials and the technology necessary to keep up with a faster and more complicated game will be preserved forever in Canton.
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