Dale Hamer, a longtime NFL game official and then replay official, has died. He was 87.
Hammer died on Friday. He became an NFL official in 1978 and worked more than 400 games, including 20 playoff games and two Super Bowls.
Hamer started as head linesman. He became a referee in 1989. In 1995, Hamer left the court for health reasons. He returned in 1996.
After retiring as a field official in 2001, Hamer worked as a replay official through 2014, according to the NFL.
Hamer was also part of one of the most memorable moments of Pat Summerall and John Madden’s collaboration. During a playoff game between the Eagles and Saints, Hamer became involved in a fight between players. And he emerged with multiple cuts on his head.
“Uh-oh,” John Madden said after seeing Hamer after the fight. “I’ll tell you, the referee took one there. He’s taken two!… You can see him, he’s got the ball. He’s the one with the ball. He went in head first. That’s why he got it.’ He went in head first.”
“You don’t want to go in there without a helmet,” Summerall said.
“Well, at least he went in with a cap and the cap got knocked off,” Madden said. “There’s no penalty on the line and the referee got two cuts!…We’ve never had this many officials on the All-Madden Team, Pat, but we’re looking – this Hamer guy, I don’t know . Not a bad look.”
“We must have seen him play,” Summerall said, referring to the basic requirements for All-Madden membership.
“We watched him play,” Madden said. “He went in head first, without a hat, you gotta love that.”
We express our condolences to Hamer’s family, friends and colleagues.
