A trendsetter in stripes or a suit, Art McNally was heralded as the “Father of Modern Officiating.”
Responsible for introducing instant replay to the NFL along with a formal program for training officials, McNally in 2022 became the first on-field official inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Leaving a monumental legacy, McNally passed away on Sunday at the age of 97, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced.
“Art McNally was a quiet, honest man of integrity. To see Art’s decades of service recognized with his enshrinement as part of the Class of 2022 was a special moment for the Hall," Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said in a statement Monday. "His legacy as a strong leader who helped usher in the advanced training of officials and the technology necessary to keep up with a faster and more complicated game will be preserved forever in Canton.”
McNally’s days in the NFL began in 1959 as a field judge and ended in 2007 when he was an assistant supervisor to officials. In between, he helped to shape the league as it related to officiating and beyond.
No matter the sport, officials gaining notoriety is most often a negative that follows a controversial call. That was hardly the case for McNally, who even before his Hall of Fame enshrinement had his legacy forever etched in league history.
"Art McNally was an extraordinary man, the epitome of integrity and class," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Monday. "Throughout his distinguished officiating career, he earned the eternal respect of the entire football community. Fittingly, he was the first game official enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. But more importantly, he was a Hall of Fame person in absolutely every way. Our thoughts go out to his wife, Sharon, his children Marybeth, Tom, and Michael, and his grandchildren."
In 2002, then-Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was behind the creation of the Art McNally Award, which is bestowed upon current or former officials who embody professionalism, leadership and sportsmanship. A decade later, McNally received the Ralph Hay Pioneer Award, which has only been presented 10 times as of 2022. Established in 1972, the Pioneer Award is presented in recognition of making “significant innovative contributions to professional football.” McNally most certainly did that.
McNally’s contributions to the league began in stripes, as he worked as a field judge in 1959 and then a referee from 1960 to 1967. McNally then put on a suit and became the NFL Supervisor of Officials in 1967, holding the position until 1991. McNally retired in 1991, but returned to the league in 1995 as the assistant supervisor to officials, a position he held until 2007.
For parts of six decades, McNally was instrumental in the league’s officiating moving forward and making strides.
Though the NFL finds itself currently in an era of more offense than ever, the call for a more offensive game dates back decades. Much of the transformation through the rulebook came under McNally’s watch -- hashmarks were repositioned, illegal contact was introduced and goalposts were moved from the base of the end zone to the back.
As the NFL grew season by season, McNally was growing its officiating. The advent of instant replay in 1986 not only altered football, but myriad other sports -- from college football to mixed martial arts to hockey to basketball.
McNally never gained a yard in his NFL career, nor did he ever register a tackle.
However, McNally’s bust sits in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. His name adorns the NFL headquarters’ officiating command center, known as Art McNally GameDay Central. And the contributions and innovations made by McNally are quietly celebrated and appreciated every Sunday of each fall.
A pioneer in stripes or a suit, McNally has passed away, but his impact on the NFL is forever etched in league chronicle.