Last week brought a report that Clete Blakeman would be refereeing Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara and the league confirmed it on Wednesday with the announcement of the full officiating crew for the game.
He will be joined by umpire Jeff Rice, head linesman Wayne Mackie, line judge Rusty Baynes, field judge Boris Cheek, side judge Scott Edwards and back judge Keith Ferguson. Blakeman, Mackie, Baynes and Edwards are working the Super Bowl for the first time. Rice has worked two other Super Bowls while Cheek and Ferguson are making their second appearance in the big game.
The league also announced that Charles Stewart is the replay official. He will be assisted by Jimmy Oldham.
The NFL chooses officials from the top tier of their evaluations from the season. They must have five years experience, including previous playoff games, to be considered for the game.
This crew has 97 combined years of officiating experience -- Rice and Cheek are in their third decades as NFL officials -- and they’ve worked 62 playoff games between them.