MIKE PEREIRA & LARRY UPSON
TO HEAD EXPANDED OFFICIATING DEPARTMENT
Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE notified the NFL clubs today of the future
structure of an expanded NFL Officiating Department.
The department will be led by MIKE PEREIRA as Director of Officiating, and LARRY UPSON as Director of Officiating Operations. Both Pereira and Upson are current NFL Officiating Supervisors in New York and former on-field NFL officials. They will replace current Senior Director of Officiating JERRY SEEMAN, who is retiring at the conclusion of the 2000 season.
Pereira will supervise the department’s overall functioning, including NFL Europe League officiating and relationships with other football leagues and college conferences.
Within this framework, Upson will supervise the activities of the league’s 16 officiating crews, including their in-season operations, the training of crews, and the recruitment of new officials.
"Both the expanded department and the specific responsibilities to be handled by Mike and Larry will reflect the increasing role of the department in officiating a 32-team NFL, NFL Europe and other areas," Commissioner Tagliabue said.
Pereira was an NFL side judge in 1996-97 before becoming a Supervisor of Officials in 1998. Before joining the NFL, he was a 14-year on-field official in Division-I football. He served as Supervisor of Football Officials for the Western Athletic Conference in 1996-97. He is a graduate of the University of Santa Clara.
Upson was an NFL line judge from 1991-96, and became a Supervisor of Officials in 1997. He was a college official for nine years. He served in the U.S. Navy and attended Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland.