Longtime NFL official
Longtime NFL official Jerry Bergman, who officiated in four Super Bowls as a head linesman, died Monday after a long illness. He was 87 and suffered from dementia in recent years.
Mr. Bergman, who lived in Ross, was an NFL official from 1966 to 1995 and worked Super Bowls VIII, XIII, XVI and XXIII. He also worked seven conference championship games and several other playoff games.
Mr. Bergman is one of five NFL officials with 30 years of service and had two sons follow in his footsteps. Jeff and Jerry Bergman currently work as head linesmen in the NFL.
One of Mr. Bergman’s biggest contributions was in helping to form the Professional Football Referees Association, now known as the NFLRA.
He served as secretarytreasurer of the union for 18 years and was instrumental in negotiating the first pension for NFL officials.
“He meant a lot to me,” said former NFL referee Dale Hamer, who entered the NFL in 1978 and had Mr. Bergman serve on his crew for a number of years. “He was an officials’ official. He was that official who always had your back no matter what happened in a game.”
Mr. Hamer relayed one story from a game in Buffalo when Mr. Bergman made a call that went against the Bills. The next week Mr. Bergman received a letter in the mail address to the Blind NFL Official.
Mr. Bergman also gained a bit of notoriety when he asked Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr for an autograph before a game. The autograph was for a young boy in Pittsburgh.
In the game, Mr. Bergman made a call that went against Mr. Starr. Afterward, Mr. Starr told reporters he wouldn’t have given the autograph to Mr. Bergman had he known he was going to make that call. Mr. Bergman was fined, but continuous years of service were the mark of an official who did his job well.
“He was a great contributor to the game,” Mr. Hamer said.
Mr. Bergman was a 1948 graduate of North Catholic High School, where he was the quarterback for the football team. Former Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, who died April 13, was his backup. Mr. Bergman also was involved in youth football in the North Hills area for years.
He is a member of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, the North Catholic Hall of Fame and the North Side Hall of Fame.
Mr. Bergman is survived by his wife, JoAnn; sons Jeff of Mars and Jerry of Ross; and daughters Julie and Jeannine, both of Ross. Visitation is from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Devlin Funeral Home, 806 Perry Highway, Ross. The funeral Mass is at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Teresa of Avila Church, 1000 Avila Court, Ross.