Fred Silva

Fred Silva (October 18, 1927 – December 3, 2004, born in Oakland, California) was an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons from 1968 to 1988. Silva was widely known for his coolness under fire on the football field ^[1] and clapping his hand together when signaling a first down. The pinnacle of Silva's officiating career in the NFL was being assigned to Super Bowl XIV in 1980. On the field, Silva wore three different uniform numbers. From the 1968 to 1970 seasons, Silva wore uniform number 49, but changed to number 81 in 1971, which he wore until 1978. Finally, from 1979 until the end of his career in 1988, he wore the number 7. October 18 is the 291st day of the year (292nd in leap years). ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... December 3, 2004 Dragomir MiloÅ¡ević, the general who besieged Sarajevo for 3 years during the Bosnian Civil War surrenders to the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. ... Oakland, founded in 1852, is a major American city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. ... In American football, an official is a person who has some responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game. ... The National Football League (NFL) is the largest professional American football league, consisting of thirty-two teams from American cities and regions. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Date January 20, 1980 Stadium Rose Bowl Stadium City Pasadena, California MVP Terry Bradshaw, Quarterback Favorite Steelers by 10 1/2 National anthem Cheryl Ladd Coin toss Art Rooney Referee Fred Silva Halftime show Up with People presents A Salute to the Big Band Era Attendance 103,985 TV in... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

Silva graduated in 1945 from Castlemont High School in Oakland where he played quarterback on the school's football team and earned all-state honors. 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Castlemont Community of Small Schools is a community of three small schools in Oakland, California, created by splitting up Castlemont Senior High School. ... NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ...

After completing high school, Silva joined the United States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged a year later in 1946. Following the his service in the military, Silva atttended San Jose State University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in education in March 1950. At San Jose State, Silva played football and was a running back and linebacker. This article is becoming very long. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... San Jose State University San José State University, commonly shortened to San Jose State and SJSU, is the oldest university in what became the California State University system. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... High school running back A running back, halfback or tailback is the position of a player on an American and Canadian football team who lines up in the offensive backfield. ... A linebacker is a position in American and Canadian football. ...

Silva became first athletic director at San Jose City College and he coached football, basketball, baseball, and track teams during his tenure at the school. He led the football team to four championships during the 1950s and coached notable players that eventually played in the NFL such as Oakland Raiders quarterback Shon Gallegos and Chicago Bears offensive lineman Jim Cadile. Athletic director (more frequently, athletics director) is a position at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, which oversees the work of the coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs. ... San Jose City College, founded in 1921, is a community college located in the city of San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ... A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium II St. ... A womens 400 metre hurdles race on a typical outdoor red rubber track. ... The 1950s was the decade spanning the years 1950 to 1959. ... City Oakland, California Team colors Silver and Black Head Coach Art Shell Owner Al Davis General manager Michael Lombardi League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Western Division (1960-1969) National Football League (1970-present) American Football Conference (1970-present) AFC West (1970-present) Team history Oakland Raiders (1960... City Chicago Other nicknames Da Bears, The Monsters of the Midway Team colors Navy Blue, Orange and White Head Coach Lovie Smith Owner Virginia McCaskey Chairman Michael McCaskey General manager Jerry Angelo Fight song Bear Down, Chicago Bears Mascot Staley Da Bear League/Conference affiliations Independent (1919) National Football League... An offensive lineman (football) is one of a group of positions in American football. ...

Following his coaching career, Silva began a career in officiating. Silva worked football, basketball, and baseball games as an official. He spent several years officiating at the collegiate level in the Pac-8 (now known as the Pac-10). In the Pac-8, Silva officiated basketball games involving Lew Alcindor (better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), who played for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins from 1965 to 1969. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born April 16, 1947 in New York City, New York) was a successful high school, collegiate, and professional basketball player. ... The University of California, Los Angeles, generally known as UCLA, is a public, coeducational university whose main campus is in the residential area of Westwood, Los Angeles, California. ... The University of California, Los Angeles, popularly known as UCLA, is a public, coeducational university situated in the neighborhood of Westwood within the city of Los Angeles. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ...

Silva joined the NFL in 1968 as a line judge on legendary referee Jim Tunney's officiating crew and was promoted to referee in 1969. The highlight of Silva's career was being selected as referee for Super Bowl XIV between the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers in 1980. He would retire following the 1988 NFL season. Jim Tunney Jim Tunney was a American football official in the National Football League (NFL) from 1960 to 1991. ... Date January 20, 1980 Stadium Rose Bowl Stadium City Pasadena, California MVP Terry Bradshaw, Quarterback Favorite Steelers by 10 1/2 National anthem Cheryl Ladd Coin toss Art Rooney Referee Fred Silva Halftime show Up with People presents A Salute to the Big Band Era Attendance 103,985 TV in... The St. ... City Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Team colors Black and Gold Head Coach Bill Cowher Owner Dan Rooney General manager Kevin Colbert League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1933-present) Eastern Division (1933-1943; 1945-1949) Western Division (1944) American Conference (1950-1952) Eastern Conference (1953-1969) Century Division (1967-1969) American Football... The 1988 NFL season was the 69th regular season of the National Football League. ...

Silva and Jack Fette, another NFL official, sued the league for age discrimination in 1992. They accused the NFL of grading officials over age 60 more strict than their younger colleagues. He and Fette split a cash settlement with the league. In an ironic situation, Fette finished his career in the NFL with a Super Bowl assignment, his fifth, during the 1987 NFL season after grading out with a perfect season. 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... The 1987 NFL season was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. ...

Silva passed away on December 3, 2004 at the age of 77 in Palo Alto, California. The cause of death was attributed to congestive heart failure. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Congestive heart failure (CHF), also called congestive cardiac failure (CCF) or just heart failure, is a condition that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to fill with or pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body. ...

A life-long friend of Silva said, "Fred had a great sense of humor and a razor-sharp wit, which occasionally served him well in tense situations during NFL games. He was also a mentor to many younger people interested in athletics as a career choice." ^[2]

Silva is survived by son Fred, Jr., daughters Karen and Kathy, and four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Memorable Games

Silva was the referee for the 1982 AFC Championship Game between the San Diego Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium. The game was played under the coldest wind chill temperature in NFL history. Air temperature was -9°F (-23°C), but the wind chill was -59°F (-51°C). The game would later become known in NFL lore as the "Freezer Bowl". 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... AFC Championship Game is a football game played every year to determine the champion of the American Football Conference of the National Football League. ... City San Diego, California Other nicknames Bolts, Super Chargers Team colors Navy Blue, White, and Gold Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer Owner Alex Spanos George Pernicano (Minority owner (3%)) General manager A.J. Smith Fight song San Diego Super Chargers League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1960-1969) Western Division (1960... City Cincinnati, Ohio Team colors Black, Orange and White Head Coach Marvin Lewis Owner Mike Brown Mascot Who Dey League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1968-1969) Western Division (1968-1969) National Football League (1970–present) American Football Conference (1970-present) AFC Central (1970-2001) AFC North (2002-present) Team... Cingery Field formerly known as Riverfront Stadium (1970 - 2002) was the home of the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball team and the Cincinnati Bengals National Football League team. ... Since the National Football League was founded in 1920, it has grown from an informal network of teams based mostly in small towns and cities into the most popular and successful sports league in the United States. ... The Freezer Bowl was the 1982 AFC Championship Game between the San Diego Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals. ...

References

1. ^ Petersen, Justin (2004-12-17). Retired NFL Referee Fred Silva Dead at 77. Evergreen Times. Retrieved on 2006-08-20.
2. ^ Chapin, Dwight (2004-12-09). Fred Silva -- all-state prep quarterback, longtime NFL official. San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2006-08-20.