Total Pro Sports
One of the most well-respected and longtime NFL refs has decided to call it quits after a 25-year run.
Per Mark Schultz of Football Zebras, longtime NFL umpire Carl Paganelli is retiring after 25 seasons. One of the longest-tenured NFL refs, Paganelli started working as an official in 1999.
According to Schultz, the NFL has hired Brandon Ellison to fill Paganelli’s role. His father, Roy Ellison, has also worked as an NFL umpire since 2003.
The 65-year-old Paganelli worked Super Bowl 39 between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots and Super Bowl 41 between the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. The head officials for those games were Terry McAulay and Tony Corrente, respectively.
As one of the more highly-regarded NFL refs, Paganelli was also called to work Super Bowl 46 (New York Giants vs. New England Patriots) and Super Bowl 48 (Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos). John Parry was the head ref for the Eli Manning-Tom Brady classic, with McAulay working the Seahawks-Broncos game.
Paganelli’s brothers, Dino and Perry, have also worked as back judges in the NFL. Dino began working in the NFL in 2002, while Perry retired after a 24-year tenure that spanned from 1999 to 2022.
In April, Ben Austro of Football Zebras announced that five new refs were hired by the NFL for the 2025 season: Marcus Woods and Larry Smith as umpires, down judge/line judge Quentin Givens, down judge/line judge Andy Warner and back judge Courtney Brown.
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