After 20 years of officiating in the NFL (from 1994 to 2014), Leavy announced his retirement on May 13, 2015. He officiated the Super Bowl twice. Leavy played a role in both Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 and Super Bowl XL in 2006. He served for 27 years in the San Jose, California police force and fire department before retiring. John Hussey, a former line judge, took over for him after he retired.
Source: Fox News
Bill Leavy cause of death
The circumstances of Leavy’s passing remain unknown. When more information on his death becomes available, we will share it with you. On visiting the Seattle Seahawks in 2010 for one of their preseason training camp sessions, Leavy admitted his terrible refereeing in Super Bowl XL, for which he is now notorious.
As Leavy put it: “I’ll go to my grave wishing that I’d been better.” “That was a tough thing for me. I kicked two calls in the fourth quarter and I impacted the game, and as an official, you never want to do that.”
He continued, “When we make mistakes, you had to come up and own it. It’s something that all officials have to deal with, unfortunately when you have to deal with it in the Super Bowl it’s difficult.”
Leavy spent 11 years as a collegiate referee in the Big West Conference before making the jump to the NFL. During his time in college, he worked as a referee for a total of four Bowl games. On February 13, 1947, he entered the world in Santa Barbara, California.
Career of Bill Leavy
The year 1995 marked Bill Leavy’s debut as an NFL official. As the coordinator of officials for the Western Athletic and Mountain West conferences, he maintained his presence in collegiate football. Initially, he worked as a back judge. That’s the guy who calls complete passes and pass interference. This official also flags downfield illegal blocks.
In 2001, he was elevated to referee status by the league. On the field, everyone knows the ref. He gets the last say on all calls and wears the white headgear to show it.
In 2014, Leavy stepped down as a game announcer. Yet, he stayed with the league for a while longer and even helped bring in new officials. Leavy was honored with the Art McNally Award in 2019. It’s the pinnacle of achievement for a public servant.
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