Phil Luckett
Encyclopedia
Phil Luckett was an official
in the National Football League
(1991-2005, 2007). His officiating uniform number was 59. He entered the NFL as a field judge in 1991
, then became a referee in 1997
after Red Cashion
and Howard Roe announced their retirements, and returned to the back judge position in 2001
(the NFL switched the titles of back judge and field judge in 1998). Luckett took a leave of absence from the NFL for the 2006 season
. Having returned for 2007, Luckett was the back judge on Bill Carollo
's crew. Luckett also refereed in the WLAF
/NFL Europe, including being assigned World Bowl '97
.
on November 26, 1998 between the Pittsburgh Steelers
and the Detroit Lions
at the Silverdome
in Pontiac, Michigan
. The referee microphone only picked up Pittsburgh captain Jerome Bettis
calling "tails." The toss was "tails", and Luckett called the Lions as the coin toss winners. Bettis insisted that he had called "tails", and Luckett insisted that Bettis had called "heads-tails," meaning that Bettis said "heads" first. The Steelers argued the call to no avail and Bettis denied Luckett's claim. The Lions scored a field goal on their first possession of the overtime to win the game.
Within a week, the game tape was enhanced, and Bettis is clearly heard saying "hea-tails." A sideline microphone enhancement also clearly had Bettis telling Coach Bill Cowher
that (Bettis) had said "hea-tails." According to NFL rules, a team's first call is the one the referee will use.
Following this incident, the captain's choice of heads or tails is now called before the coin is flipped, and the referee will generally state it over his microphone so that there is no dispute.
This incident was parodied in the film Rat Race
, where Cuba Gooding, Jr.
plays the role of a referee who botches a coin flip, costing one team the game.
of the New York Jets
against the Seattle Seahawks
on December 6, 1998 at The Meadowlands
in East Rutherford, New Jersey
. Testaverde attempted a quarterback sneak on 4th down in the final minute of the game and although television replays clearly showed the football did not cross the goal line, head linesman Earnie Frantz ruled that Testaverde had scored (in fact, the only part of Testaverde that did cross the line was his helmet). At the time, the NFL did not use instant replay
to review officials' decisions. Luckett, as the head of the officiating crew that day, received bad publicity despite not actually making the erroneous ruling. The call would be cited as a major reason why the NFL reinstituted instant replay
the following season. The ruling is alleged to have helped cost Seahawks a chance at a playoff berth and cost head coach Dennis Erickson
his job.
play during the 1999 Playoffs between the Buffalo Bills
and Tennessee Titans
on January 8, 2000 at Adelphia Coliseum
in Nashville
. A lateral pass
(by rule, a backward pass or pass parallel to the line of yardage it was thrown from) thrown by Frank Wycheck
to Kevin Dyson
enabled Dyson to run 75 yards for a game-winning touchdown. The Bills claimed that the pass was actually a forward pass, and thus an illegal play that would have virtually clinched the game for the Bills. Instead, Luckett, after checking the replay, ruled the pass was thrown parallel to the 25-yard line, thus making it a legal lateral pass. The NFL gave the reason for the call was that replays showed no clear proof that the call on the field was bad. NFL Films
, with computer assistance, later concluded that the pass was, once and for all, a lateral.
when he failed to get out of the way and was run over by New Orleans Saints
wide receiver Joe Horn
as he streaked downfield for a pass, while not covered by any opposing player, from Aaron Brooks during the Saints' game against the Carolina Panthers
.
Official (American football)
In American football, an official is a person who has responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game.During professional and college football games, seven officials operate on the field...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(1991-2005, 2007). His officiating uniform number was 59. He entered the NFL as a field judge in 1991
1991 NFL season
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills....
, then became a referee in 1997
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
after Red Cashion
Red Cashion
Mason L. "Red" Cashion is a former American football official. He started officiating in 1952 while attending Texas A&M University, and then worked for various high school and college football conferences, most notably the Southwest Conference. From 1972 to 1997, he officiated in the National...
and Howard Roe announced their retirements, and returned to the back judge position in 2001
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
(the NFL switched the titles of back judge and field judge in 1998). Luckett took a leave of absence from the NFL for the 2006 season
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
. Having returned for 2007, Luckett was the back judge on Bill Carollo
Bill Carollo
William F. "Bill" Carollo is a retired American football official who officiated National Football League games from the 1989 through 2008. He wore uniform number 63. Carollo officiated in two Super Bowls and seven conference championship games...
's crew. Luckett also refereed in the WLAF
World League of American Football
The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
/NFL Europe, including being assigned World Bowl '97
World Bowl V
World Bowl '97 was NFL Europe's 1997 championship game. The game was played at Estadi Olimpic de Montjuic in Barcelona, Spain on June 22, 1997. This World Bowl was played between the 7-3 Rhein Fire and the 5-5 Barcelona Dragons. 31,100 fans were in attendance as the Dragons won their first and...
.
Thanksgiving 1998
The first was an overtime coin tossCoin flipping
Coin flipping or coin tossing or heads or tails is the practice of throwing a coin in the air to choose between two alternatives, sometimes to resolve a dispute between two parties...
on November 26, 1998 between the Pittsburgh Steelers
1998 Pittsburgh Steelers season
The 1998 season marked the first time since 1991 that the Steelers failed to reach the playoffs. Pittsburgh finished 7–9 after starting the season 5–2, losing their last five games to knock themselves out of the playoffs...
and the Detroit Lions
1998 Detroit Lions season
The 1998 Detroit Lions season was their 69th in the league. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 9–7 and did not make a repeat playoff appearance. This was the last year Barry Sanders would ever play in the NFL.-Staff:...
at the Silverdome
Pontiac Silverdome
The Silverdome is a domed stadium located in the city of Pontiac, Michigan, USA, which sits on . It was the largest stadium in the National Football League until FedEx Field in suburban Washington, D.C...
in Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
. The referee microphone only picked up Pittsburgh captain Jerome Bettis
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
calling "tails." The toss was "tails", and Luckett called the Lions as the coin toss winners. Bettis insisted that he had called "tails", and Luckett insisted that Bettis had called "heads-tails," meaning that Bettis said "heads" first. The Steelers argued the call to no avail and Bettis denied Luckett's claim. The Lions scored a field goal on their first possession of the overtime to win the game.
Within a week, the game tape was enhanced, and Bettis is clearly heard saying "hea-tails." A sideline microphone enhancement also clearly had Bettis telling Coach Bill Cowher
Bill Cowher
William Laird "Bill" Cowher is a former American football coach and player. Cowher resigned after 15 seasons as the Steelers' coach on January 5, 2007, 11 months to the day after winning 2005–06's Super Bowl XL...
that (Bettis) had said "hea-tails." According to NFL rules, a team's first call is the one the referee will use.
Following this incident, the captain's choice of heads or tails is now called before the coin is flipped, and the referee will generally state it over his microphone so that there is no dispute.
This incident was parodied in the film Rat Race
Rat Race (film)
Rat Race is a 2001 ensemble cast comedy film directed by Jerry Zucker, written by Andy Breckman, and stars several comedians including Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Jon Lovitz, Lanei Chapman, Seth Green, Kathy Najimy, Dave Thomas, Vince Vieluf, John Cleese, Breckin Meyer,...
, where Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Cuba M. Gooding, Jr. is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire, and his critically acclaimed performance as Tré Styles in John Singleton's 1991 film Boyz n the Hood.-Early life:Gooding was born...
plays the role of a referee who botches a coin flip, costing one team the game.
Vinny Testaverde
The second was a late touchdown scored by Vinny TestaverdeVinny Testaverde
Vincent Frank Testaverde is a former NFL quarterback. Testaverde last played for the Carolina Panthers and had previously played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Testaverde holds the NFL record for having...
of the New York Jets
1998 New York Jets season
The 1998 New York Jets season was the 39th season for the team and the 29th in the National Football League. The team tried to improve upon its 9–7 record from 1997 and finished 12–4 in their second season under head coach Bill Parcells, winning their first division title since the AFL-NFL merger...
against the Seattle Seahawks
1998 Seattle Seahawks season
The 1998 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's 23rd season with the National Football League. A late-season loss to the New York Jets came due to a controversial call when Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde ran in a touchdown but was downed short of the goalline yet the play was ruled a...
on December 6, 1998 at The Meadowlands
Giants Stadium
Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
in East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
. Testaverde attempted a quarterback sneak on 4th down in the final minute of the game and although television replays clearly showed the football did not cross the goal line, head linesman Earnie Frantz ruled that Testaverde had scored (in fact, the only part of Testaverde that did cross the line was his helmet). At the time, the NFL did not use instant replay
Instant replay
Instant replay is the replaying of video footage of an event or incident very soon after it has occurred. In television broadcasting of sports events, instant replay is often used during live broadcast, to show a passage of play which was important or remarkable, or which was unclear on first...
to review officials' decisions. Luckett, as the head of the officiating crew that day, received bad publicity despite not actually making the erroneous ruling. The call would be cited as a major reason why the NFL reinstituted instant replay
Instant replay
Instant replay is the replaying of video footage of an event or incident very soon after it has occurred. In television broadcasting of sports events, instant replay is often used during live broadcast, to show a passage of play which was important or remarkable, or which was unclear on first...
the following season. The ruling is alleged to have helped cost Seahawks a chance at a playoff berth and cost head coach Dennis Erickson
Dennis Erickson
Dennis Erickson is an American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Arizona State University until November 28, 2011, a position he had held since the 2007 season. In 2008 the Arizona Board of Regents had approved a contract extension to keep Erickson at Arizona...
his job.
The Music City Miracle
The third was the Music City MiracleMusic City Miracle
The Music City Miracle is the name commonly given to a play that took place on January 8, 2000 during the National Football League's 1999–2000 playoffs...
play during the 1999 Playoffs between the Buffalo Bills
1999 Buffalo Bills season
The 1999 Buffalo Bills season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League. It would be the final season that long time Bills members Bruce Smith, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas were on the same team together. All three were released at the end of the season due to salary cap...
and Tennessee Titans
1999 Tennessee Titans season
The 1999 Tennessee Titans season was the Titans' 40th season and their 30th in the National Football League. It was the first season for the club under the moniker "Titans," while the nickname "Oilers" was retired by the NFL...
on January 8, 2000 at Adelphia Coliseum
LP Field
LP Field is a football stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, owned by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County....
in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. A lateral pass
Lateral pass
In American football, a lateral pass or lateral, officially backward pass , occurs when the ball carrier throws the football to any teammate behind him or directly next to him...
(by rule, a backward pass or pass parallel to the line of yardage it was thrown from) thrown by Frank Wycheck
Frank Wycheck
Frank John Wycheck is a former American football tight end in the National Football League. Wycheck attended Archbishop Ryan High School in Northeast Philadelphia. Drafted in sixth round of the 1993 NFL Draft out of the University of Maryland by the Washington Redskins...
to Kevin Dyson
Kevin Dyson
Kevin Tyree Dyson is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Tennessee Oilers 16th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah....
enabled Dyson to run 75 yards for a game-winning touchdown. The Bills claimed that the pass was actually a forward pass, and thus an illegal play that would have virtually clinched the game for the Bills. Instead, Luckett, after checking the replay, ruled the pass was thrown parallel to the 25-yard line, thus making it a legal lateral pass. The NFL gave the reason for the call was that replays showed no clear proof that the call on the field was bad. NFL Films
NFL Films
NFL Films is a Mount Laurel, New Jersey-based company devoted to producing commercials, television programs, feature films, and documentaries on the National Football League, as well as other unrelated major events and awards shows...
, with computer assistance, later concluded that the pass was, once and for all, a lateral.
Joe Horn
Luckett was in the news again in 20012001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
when he failed to get out of the way and was run over by New Orleans Saints
2001 New Orleans Saints season
The 2001 New Orleans Saints season saw the Saints not qualify for the postseason and marked the 17th consecutive time that the team hosting the Super Bowl would not be playing in it.-Staff:-Schedule:-References:**...
wide receiver Joe Horn
Joe Horn
Joseph Horn is a retired American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and also played for the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons...
as he streaked downfield for a pass, while not covered by any opposing player, from Aaron Brooks during the Saints' game against the Carolina Panthers
2001 Carolina Panthers season
-Regular season:-References:...
.