An all-star crew of officials, including a referee who has officiated one other Super Bowl and 13 previous NFL playoff games, was assigned to Super Bowl 54 between the 49ers and Chiefs weeks before the matchup was set.
Bill Vinovich, in his 11th season as an NFL referee and 14th overall as an NFL official, will be the referee for the Super Bowl in 2020. The 58-year-old also served as the referee for Super Bowl 49 between the Seahawks and Patriots.
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As always, the goal for NFL officials assigned to the Super Bowl in 2020 is for observers not to care who's working the big game. If nobody's talking about the officiating, that generally means those calling the game are doing a good job.
Of course, throughout the 2019 regular season and in the playoffs in 2020, chatter around NFL officiating has been as loud as ever, leaving referees to explain questionable calls made by their crews after most games. With the addition of pass interference to the NFL's replay review system this year, senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron's performance also has been under the microscope.
Which is why it's notable that Vinovich was the referee who worked last season's NFC championship game, a contest that ended with the infamous pass interference non-call that prompted the tweak to the NFL's replay review system.
MORE: How much do Super Bowl referees get paid?
Super Bowl 2020 referee, officials
Below are the officials the NFL assigned to Super Bowl 54 between the 49ers and Chiefs, including their NFL experience and the Super Bowls on their resume.
| Position | Official | NFL experience | Super Bowls |
| Referee | Bill Vinovich | 14 years | SB 49 |
| Umpire | Barry Anderson | 13 years | None |
| Line judge | Carl Johnson | 16 years | SB 42 |
| Side judge | Boris Cheek | 24 years | SB 42, SB 50 |
| Back judge | Greg Steed | 17 years | SB 44 |
| Field judge | Michael Banks | 18 years | SB 43 |
| Down judge | Kent Payne | 16 years | SB 45, SB 51 |
In addition to the seven on-field officials for the Super Bowl, Mike Chase will serve as the crew's replay official. Chase and umpire Barry Anderson are the only officials on the crew who have never worked a Super Bowl.
The NFL assigns its Super Bowl officials based on a combination of experience and performance grades throughout the season. Per Football Zebras, in order to be considered for the Super Bowl, a referee "must have at least five years of seniority, worked three years at the referee position and worked a playoff game as a referee in the previous postseason." All other officials must have at least five years of experience with a conference championship game (or on-field assignments in three of the last five postseasons) on his or her resume.
As noted by The Washington Post, the crew for Super Bowl 54 in 2020 includes the most minority officials ever for a Super Bowl. Five African-Americans — Anderson, field judge Michael Banks, line judge Carl Johnson, back judge Greg Steed and side judge Boris Cheek — are on the seven-man crew for 49ers vs. Chiefs.
"Super Bowl officials are selected among their peers for excelling at every one of the stringent criteria as met on every play in every game throughout the season," NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent told The Post. "The diversity of this Super Bowl officiating team is a testimony to those who far exceed the on-field leadership and excellence commensurate with the performance demands of the most significant game of the year for coaches, players and fans."
Super Bowl assignments are set – Bill Vinovich has been named #SBLIV referee. pic.twitter.com/52iJdkUWe4
— NFL Officiating (@NFLOfficiating) January 15, 2020
NFL officials assignments, responsibilities
Each of the seven NFL officials on the field in a given NFL game have specific roles, watching different areas of the field and looking out for different kinds of penalties on a given play.
Below are the responsibilities of each on-field official, via NFL Operations.
- Referee
Lining up 10-12 yards behind the line of scrimmage in the offensive backfield, the referee is the white-hat wearing leader of the crew who signals all penalties and is the final authority on all rulings. Below are the referee's assignments on run plays, pass plays and special-teams plays.
Run plays: Watches nap; follows QB until action moves downfield; then follows runner to determine forward progress and position of the ball; determines first downs or if a measurement is necessary.
Pass plays: Shadows QB from drop to release; drops back as the play starts and monitors offensive tackles; turns attention solely to QB as defense approaches; watches for roughing the passer; rules on intentional grounding; makes the decision whether a loose ball is a fumble or incomplete pass.
Special teams: Watches for running into/roughing the kicker.
- Umpire
Lining up next to the referee 10-12 yards behind the line of scrimmage in the offensive backfield, the umpire primarily watches for holding and blocking fouls. He or she also reviews player equipment, counts offensive players on the field and marks off penalty yardage. Below are the umpire's assignments on run plays, pass plays and special teams-plays.
Run plays: Watches for false starts on offensive line; watches for illegal blocks by the offense or any defensive fouls at the line of scrimmage.
Pass plays: Watches for false stars on offensive line; on screens, turns attention to intended receiver to make sure he is able to run his route; watches for blocking penalties.
Special teams: Watches for any penalties.
- Down judge
Lining up on the sideline and looking directly down the line of scrimmage, the down judge directs the chain crew, informs the ref of the down and rules on sideline plays on the nearest half of the field. Below are the down judge's assignments on run plays, pass plays and special-teams plays.
Run plays: Watches for offside or encroachment; monitors sideline; determines when/if a runner is out of bounds; marks runner's forward progress.
Pass plays: Watches nearest receiver for first seven yards of his route until he is clear the point of legal contact for defensive backs; watches for pass interference.
Special teams: Watches for offside and encroachment; rules on penalties involving blockers and defenders on trick plays.
- Line judge
Lining up on the sideline opposite the down judge and looking directly down the line of scrimmage, the line judge has similar duties without the chain crew direction. Below are the line judge's assignments on run plays, pass plays and special-teams plays.
Run plays: Watches for offside and encroachment; watches blockers and defenders on nearest side for penalties.
Pass plays: Watches for offside and encroachment on nearest side of field; follows nearest receiver for seven yards downfield; moves into offensive backfield to determine if pass is forwards or backwards; makes sure passer is behind the line of scrimmage when he throws the ball.
Special teams: Stays at line of scrimmage on punts to make sure only players on the ends of the line move downfield before the kick; rules on whether the kick crosses the line of scrimmage; watches kicking team for penalties.
- Field judge
Lining up on the same sideline as the line judge but 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage in the defensive backfield, the field judge counts defensive players and watches wide receivers/defensive backs on the nearest side of the field. Below are the field judge's assignments on run plays, pass plays and special-teams plays.
Run plays: Watches widest receiver's blocking and looks for illegal use of hands or holding; determines if/when a runner on nearest side of the field goes out of bounds.
Pass plays: Watches widest receiver on nearest side of the field and makes sure he is able to run his route without interference; rules on whether a pass to nearest side of the field is incomplete; rules on whether a receiver is in or out of bounds when he makes a catch; watches for pass interference.
Special teams: Rules on blocking during punts; lines up under goal posts to rule on whether field goals and extra points are good.
- Side judge
Lining up on the same sideline as the down judge but 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage in the defensive backfield, the side judge backs up the clock operator, signals to the ref when time expires for each quarter and counts defensive players. Below are the side judge's assignments on run plays, pass plays and special-teams plays.
Run plays: Watches widest receiver's blocking and looks for illegal use of hands or holding; determines if/when a runner on nearest side of the field goes out of bounds.
Pass plays: Watches widest receiver on nearest side of the field and makes sure he is able to run his route without interference; rules on whether a pass to nearest side of the field is incomplete; rules on whether a receiver is in or out of bounds when he makes a catch; watches for pass interference.
Special teams: Watches punt returner and any action around him; joins umpire in defensive backfield on field goal and PAT attempts; watches for penalties along the line of scrimmage.
- Back judge
Usually lining up on the tight end's side, the back judge is positioned 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage in the defensive backfield. The back judge keeps track of the play clock and all TV breaks, counts defensive players and focuses on tight ends and all the players on the end of the lines. Below are the back judge's assignments on run plays, pass plays and special-teams plays.
Run plays: Watches tight end for illegal blocking or defensive penalties.
Pass plays: Watches tight end for illegal use of hands or defensive interference; rules on whether a receiver made a legal catch; determines who recovered a fumble.
Special teams: Rules on fair catches; lines up under goal posts to rule on whether field goals and extra points are good.