It's not often that a referee's performance gets as much spotlight as the halftime show, but Shawn Smith, a Ferris State University graduate, bucked that trend after his head officiating at Super Bowl LX. Smith, who first cut his teeth refereeing Pop Warner games in junior high, was lauded for his composure and control during one of the biggest sporting events of the year. Having started his NFL officiating career in 2015, this year marked Smith's first on-field appearance in the Super Bowl – a stage that, according to FOX 2 Detroit, caps his 11th season in the league and 8th as a referee.
With the pressure on, Smith – a Detroit Cody High School product and track-and-field athlete turned Ferris State beancounter – didn't just reliably call plays. He managed to stand out for the right reasons, contributing to a game that ended in a Seahawks victory over the Patriots with a score of 29-13. While reviews often fixate on the high-octane performances of the players, in a statement obtained by UpNorthLive, Smith expressed how "humbled" but "very excited by this opportunity" he was, emphasizing the collective efforts that helped him reach this pinnacle of his officiating career.
And pinnacle it truly was, as Smith donned the white cap and made the calls before an audience of 125 million viewers. Despite minor critiques over a potential missed call and the handling of a late-game skirmish, Smith's performance didn’t miss a beat per Football Zebras' senior editor Mark Schultz, who observed Smith keeping his emotions in check, particularly during the coin toss. That said, analyst Ben Austro from Ferris State's news release pointed out the crew had every reason to feel they had earned their Super Bowl rings.
As the final authority on the field, Smith embodied the belief that the best officials are the ones you don't notice – a task made more challenging at an event where everything is noticed. Even as punches were thrown in a late fourth-quarter skirmish, Smith and his crew maintained order, mirroring the cool composure that had favored him from high school football games through to the college level, and eventually to the NFL. As Schultz reported, Smith’s presence on the field contributed to a game where the officials had absolutely no influence on the outcome, a statement every football fan can appreciate.
