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Super Bowl LVIII was officiated by a crew led by referee Bill Vinovich.
The game was played on February 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25–22 in overtime.
Here is the complete officiating crew:
| Position | Official |
|---|---|
| Referee | Bill Vinovich |
| Umpire | Terry Killens Jr. |
| Down Judge | Patrick Holt |
| Line Judge | Mark Perlman |
| Field Judge | Tom Hill |
| Side Judge | Allen Baynes |
| Back Judge | Brad Freeman |
| Replay Official | Mike Chase |
These names are confirmed by the NFL’s official Super Bowl LVIII game summary and record book.
Who Was the Referee for Super Bowl LVIII?
Bill Vinovich was the referee—the official wearing the white hat and responsible for leading the on-field crew and announcing penalties.
Super Bowl LVIII was Vinovich’s third Super Bowl as referee.
He had previously refereed:
- Super Bowl XLIX
- Super Bowl LIV
- Super Bowl LVIII
The NFL announced his assignment on January 23, 2024.
Full Super Bowl LVIII Officiating Crew
Referee — Bill Vinovich
Vinovich served as crew chief.
The referee works primarily in the offensive backfield and has responsibilities involving the quarterback, passer protection, penalty enforcement and overall game administration.
He also communicates rulings to the stadium and television audience.
Umpire — Terry Killens Jr.
Terry Killens Jr. served as umpire.
His assignment was historically notable because Killens became the first person to both play in and officiate a Super Bowl.
As an NFL player, he appeared on special teams for the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV against the St. Louis Rams in January 2000.
That is a genuinely useful fact that was buried in the old article and deserves to be highlighted.
Down Judge — Patrick Holt
Patrick Holt worked as down judge.
The down judge operates near the line of scrimmage and sideline, with responsibilities that include pre-snap alignment, boundary action and forward progress.
Line Judge — Mark Perlman
Mark Perlman was the line judge.
Perlman already had significant Super Bowl experience. He had previously officiated Super Bowls XL and XLIII before joining Vinovich’s LVIII crew.
Field Judge — Tom Hill
Tom Hill served as field judge.
Super Bowl LVIII became the final game of Hill’s long NFL officiating career. The NFL later stated that he concluded a 25-year NFL officiating career with the LVIII assignment before joining the league’s officiating staff as a trainer.
Side Judge — Allen Baynes
Allen Baynes was the side judge.
The side judge is one of the deep officials responsible for downfield coverage, boundary decisions and receiver-defender contact.
Back Judge — Brad Freeman
Brad Freeman served as back judge.
The back judge works deep in the defensive secondary and contributes to coverage of deep passes, end-zone action, timing and special-teams plays.
Replay Official — Mike Chase
Mike Chase was the replay official.
Replay support is particularly important in the Super Bowl because reviewable rulings involving possession, boundaries, scoring and other objective elements can be examined using video.
The NFL’s official game summary lists Chase as the replay official for LVIII.
How Were the Super Bowl LVIII Officials Selected?
The Super Bowl does not simply use one regular-season officiating crew.
The NFL selects officials based on merit, which means the Super Bowl crew can combine officials who normally work on different crews.
When the NFL announced the LVIII assignment, it specifically noted that Vinovich would not be working with his normal regular-season crew because Super Bowl officials are selected on merit.
That distinction matters.
Calling it “Bill Vinovich’s crew” does not mean these exact officials worked together every week during the 2023 regular season.
They were assembled for the Super Bowl assignment.
What Happened in Super Bowl LVIII?
Super Bowl LVIII featured:
San Francisco 49ers 22
Kansas City Chiefs 25
The game went to overtime before Patrick Mahomes completed a three-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman for the winning score.
The official NFL game summary records the game at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 and identifies the complete officiating crew.
That overtime made the game’s officiating assignment particularly significant because Super Bowl LVIII became the first Super Bowl played under the postseason overtime format adopted after the Chiefs-Bills playoff game following the 2021 season.
What Overtime Rule Applied in Super Bowl LVIII?
This needs correcting from the old article.
Under the postseason overtime structure used for Super Bowl LVIII, both teams were entitled to an opportunity to possess the ball, subject to the rule’s specific exceptions.
San Francisco received the ball first.
The 49ers drove for a field goal, taking a 22–19 lead.
Kansas City then received its possession and drove for the game-winning touchdown.
That produced the final score:
Chiefs 25, 49ers 22.
This is an important part of LVIII’s history because the game provided a real-world demonstration of the postseason overtime format.
Was Super Bowl LVIII Controversial Because of the Referees?
This is where the article should be careful.
There is a major difference between:
fans disagreeing with individual calls
and
evidence that officiating determined the outcome.
The official NFL game record confirms the crew and game result, but it does not establish that officiating unfairly favored either team.
So this article should not manufacture a “referee controversy” merely because controversy generates clicks.
Vinovich himself does have a notable officiating history.
He was the referee during the infamous missed pass-interference/helmet-to-helmet call in the Rams-Saints NFC Championship Game following the 2018 season. The NFL later acknowledged that the play should have been penalized.
That history contributed to scrutiny surrounding his Super Bowl assignments, but it is a separate event from Super Bowl LVIII.
How Many Officials Work a Super Bowl?
Super Bowl LVIII had seven on-field officials:
- Referee
- Umpire
- Down Judge
- Line Judge
- Field Judge
- Side Judge
- Back Judge
It also had a replay official and additional officiating/replay support.
This is why saying:
“the Super Bowl referee”
can be slightly misleading.
Bill Vinovich was the referee, but eight named officials—including replay official Mike Chase—appear in the NFL’s official LVIII game summary.
What Does the Referee Actually Do?
The referee is the most visible official because of the white hat and microphone.
Responsibilities include:
- leading the officiating crew
- announcing penalties
- administering penalty enforcement
- managing certain timing and game-administration situations
- overseeing replay procedures
- monitoring action involving the quarterback
But the referee does not personally make every call.
Other officials have assigned coverage areas and responsibilities.
A pass-interference decision far downfield, for example, may primarily belong to a deep official rather than Vinovich.
That is why evaluating an NFL game by simply saying “the referee called X penalties” can oversimplify how the crew operates.
Super Bowl LVIII Officiating Facts
Here are the facts worth remembering:
Referee: Bill Vinovich
Super Bowl: LVIII
Date: February 11, 2024
Venue: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas
Teams: San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Final score: Chiefs 25, 49ers 22 (OT)
Replay official: Mike Chase
Vinovich’s Super Bowl as referee: Third
Notable first: Terry Killens became the first person to both play in and officiate a Super Bowl.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was the referee for Super Bowl LVIII?
Bill Vinovich was the referee for Super Bowl LVIII.
Who were all the Super Bowl LVIII officials?
The on-field crew consisted of Bill Vinovich, Terry Killens Jr., Patrick Holt, Mark Perlman, Tom Hill, Allen Baynes and Brad Freeman. Mike Chase served as replay official.
How many Super Bowls has Bill Vinovich refereed?
Super Bowl LVIII was his third as referee, following Super Bowls XLIX and LIV.
Did Super Bowl LVIII go to overtime?
Yes.
Kansas City defeated San Francisco 25–22 in overtime.
Who was the Super Bowl LVIII replay official?
Mike Chase.
Did Terry Killens play in a Super Bowl?
Yes.
Killens played special teams for Tennessee in Super Bowl XXXIV before later becoming the first person to both play in and officiate a Super Bowl when he worked LVIII.
Bottom Line
Bill Vinovich led the officiating crew for Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs.
The complete on-field crew was:
Bill Vinovich, Terry Killens Jr., Patrick Holt, Mark Perlman, Tom Hill, Allen Baynes and Brad Freeman, with Mike Chase serving as replay official.
Kansas City ultimately won 25–22 in overtime.
For officiating history, the most interesting detail may belong to Terry Killens: after appearing as a player in Super Bowl XXXIV, he returned to the game’s biggest stage as an official in LVIII—the first person in NFL history to do both.