Dale Hamer, a long-time NFL game official and then a replay official, has died. He was 87.
Hamer passed away on Friday. He became an NFL official in 1978, and he worked more than 400 games, including 20 playoff games and two Super Bowls.
Hamer started as a head linesman. He became a referee in 1989. In 1995, Hamer left the job for health reasons. He returned in 1996.
After retiring in 2001 as an on-field official, Hamer worked as a replay official through 2014, per the NFL.
Hamer also was part of one of the most memorable moments of the Pat Summerall/John Madden partnership. During a playoff game between the Eagles and Saints, Hamer got caught up in a fight among 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 took two there! . . . You can see him, he has the ball. He’s the one with the ball. He went in head first. That’s why he got it. He went into the thing head first.”
“You don’t wanna go in there without a helmet,” Summerall said.
“Well, at least he went in with a cap, and he got the cap knocked off,” Madden said. “There’s no penalty on the play and the referee got two cuts! . . . We’ve never had too many officials on the All-Madden Team, Pat, but we’re looking this Hamer guy, I don’t know. Not a bad look.”
“We have to have seen him play,” Summerall said, referring to the basic eligibility requirements for All-Madden membership.
“We saw him play,” Madden said. “He went in head first with no hat, you gotta love that.”
We extend our condolences to Hamer’s family, friends, and colleagues.