Jerry Seeman was on the field for two memorable Super Bowl finishes, but couldn't fully relish either moment.
The former NFL official was focused on his job.
"I can really appreciate it when I start looking at the video afterwards," said Seeman, who was referee for Super Bowls XXIII and XXV. "During the game you have so much you have to take care of. They were just two great, great football games."
Seeman stood yards away from quarterback Joe Montana when he fired a touchdown pass to wide receiver John Taylor that gave San Francisco a 20-16 victory over Cincinnati in Super Bowl XXIII.
Seeman was also yards away from Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood, who missed field goal wide right in the closing seconds. That miss gave the New York Giants a 20-19 victory over the Bills in Super Bowl XXV.
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Seeman, 74, is now an NFL officiating consultant and will be the featured speaker at the Dragon Fire Walk Dinner, which starts at 6 tonight at Moorhead's Courtyard by Marriott.
"What I try to do is talk about what I think is important to winning in the game of life," said Seeman, who was the NFL Senior Director of Officiating from 1991-2001. "I try to use analogies from my experiences."
Seeman, who lives in Blaine, Minn., played football and basketball for Winona State University and graduated from the school in 1957.
Seeman was a football official in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Northern Intercollegiate Conference (now the NSIC) and the North Central Conference in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He then officiated in the Big Ten Conference before he became an NFL official in 1975.
"It's a science for officials to officiate a game well," said Seeman, who was an NFL official for 16 seasons. "That's the beauty and the challenge of the NFL."
Seeman developed and helped implement the current system of instant replay, which started in 1999, and allowed a coach to throw a challenge flag to review questionable calls.
"It's just a tool to help out in the officiating," said Seeman, who also was a basketball official for a number of years. "The fans love it and the players love it and coaches and officials, it's just a win-win all the way around. It's quick, but it still helps us and it increases the credibility of the officiating."
Jerry isn't the only one his family with Super Bowl experience. Jeff Seeman, his son, was a line judge for Super XLIV, which saw New Orleans earn a 31-17 win over Indianapolis.
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"It was really special," Jerry said. "He had a tremendous year because it's all on ratings. If you work the Super Bowl it means you were rated No. 1 at your position."
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Eric Peterson at (701) 241-5513.
