LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Football players aren't the only ones who get some bling after a Super Bowl win. Referees get some too, and local Jeff Rice has three.
2001 Giants versus Ravens,
2002 Patriots versus Rams,
2004 Patriots versus Panthers
and
2016 Super Bowl 50 Broncos versus Panthers.
All Super Bowls where Southwest Florida local Jeff Rice called the game, and he has more than the whistle to prove it.
Cards, footballs, whistles engraved with his initials and of course the one of a kind Super Bowl ring.
Watch Lee County Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades report below:
He said just like the players, the refs chosen to officiate are also at the top of their game.
And yes…Game day jitters still exist for the referees, but Rice said, just like the players, it's about your mentality.
He said, "It's like a regular game. Yes, you're nervous. You're excited because you've reached the top of your career, but after the opening kick off and you have first play, it's just like any other game."
Rice said referees prepare a week in advance taking a rules test, reviewing tape and rehearsing the coin toss.
For him, he said the Super Bowl is one of the easier games to officiate.
"It's the two best teams, they're disciplined. They're very well coached, and there's so much on the line that they aren't gonna make silly penalties. What they will do, however, is get real chippy," Rice explained.
He's called some memorable Super Bowls, in 2002 right after 9/11, and, in 2004, when Janet Jackson had a wardrobe malfunction, but Super Bowl 50 holds his favorite memory.
"My job on a fumble is to get in and find the ball, and some photographer got a shot of me going into the pile. My hat gets knocked off. I'm digging deep for the ball and all that," Rice described the photo.
Rice does miss the action and expects a close game this year. He said the Chiefs do have a chance for a three peat, and the Eagles are a strong match up.
So, who's he rooting for?
"The guys in the stripes," Rice said.
Remember, FOX 4 is the only TV station in Southwest Florida with Super Bowl LIX! We can't wait to see you Sunday, February 9 at 6:30pm, right here on FOX 4!
