Johnny Grier Cause Of Death: What Happened To NFL’s First Black Referee Johnny Grier?

NFL’s first African-American referee, Johnny Grier, has passed away at age 74, and his cause of death is currently unknown.

Grier was an American football official for 23 years in the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 2004.

Born on April 16, 1947, Grier began his NFL career as a field judge before becoming the league’s first African-American referee at the start of the 1988 season.

Grier only officiated in one Super Bowl, Super Bowl XXII in 1988, which also happened to be his final game as a field judge and the one in which Doug Williams became the first African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl.

He wore uniform number 23, which is now worn by another African-American referee, Jerome Boger.

Grier went to the University of the District of Columbia for his education.

Grier began officiating football when he was 18 years old, beginning as a high school football official in 1965, then moving on to college football in 1972, and finally the NFL in 1981.

His NFL career came to an end unexpectedly in 2004 when he was forced to retire due to a leg injury sustained during a series of games.

He was replaced by Scott Green, the back judge on his crew, who had previously worked as a referee in the NFL Europe.

Grier formerly worked as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s Supervisor of Football Officials (MEAC).