Nov 22, 2009

Red Cashion NFL referee extraordinaire

Mr. Alumnus M.L. "Red" Cashion (upper photo) is the current NFL Trainer of Referees.

Cashion is a past president of the National Football League Referees Association.

Red Cahion was a National Football League official for 25 years. He began as a line judge in 1972 and became a referee in 1976.

It wasn’t long until Red’s “First Dowwwnnn!” call became well-known to fans and players alike.

He refereed Super Bowl XX, Super Bowl XXX, 18 playoff games and almost 500 professional games.

The lower photo above shows Red Cahion with his whistle strapped to his hand rather than hung on the usual strap around the neck.