Dana McKenzie is an
American football official
In gridiron football, an official is a person who has responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game.
During professional and most college football games, seven officials operate on the field. Since 2015, Division ...
in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) since the
2008 NFL season. He wears uniform number 8.
As an official in the NFL, McKenzie is known for working
Super Bowl XLIX
Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...
in 2015 as a head linesman on the crew of
Bill Vinovich
Bill Vinovich III (born December 1, 1960) is an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) who has worked as a NFL referee from 2001 to 2006 and since 2012; he is also a college basketball official.
Early life
Vinovich ...
. He is currently the down judge on
Tony Corrente
Anthony Joseph Corrente (born November 12, 1951) is a former American football official in the National Football League (NFL) who served for 26 years from 1995 until his retirement in 2021. He wore uniform number 99. He was the referee of Supe ...
's officiating crew for the 2019 NFL season.
[refs.ws/2019crews]
Personal
McKenzie grew up in
Wellington, Ohio
Wellington is a village in Lorain County, Ohio. The population was 4,799 at the time of the 2020 census.
History
Some say the village was named after William Welling, a local resident, while others believe the name is derived from the title of ...
, and currently works as an insurance claims adjuster in
Zionsville, IN with 3 children (Everly, Sterling, and Whitaker)
Dana's father, Dick McKenzie, was a line judge in the NFL and officiated in
Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...
and
Super Bowl XXVII.
Officiating career
NFL career
McKenzie was hired by the NFL in 2008 as a head linesman, and was placed on the officiating crew of former referee
Mike Carey, where he remained for four years. For the
2012 NFL season, McKenzie was reassigned to the crew of
Pete Morelli, where he remained until the
2015 NFL season
The 2015 NFL season was the 96th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL), and the 50th in the Super Bowl era. To celebrate the 50th season of the Super Bowl, a gold-plated NFL logo and other various gold-themed promotions ...
.
McKenzie has officiated five playoff games, which include two Wild Cards, one Divisional, the
2013 NFC Championship Game, and
Super Bowl XLIX
Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...
.
DeAngelo Hall incident
On October 28, 2012, McKenzie was assigned as the head linesman on the Week 8 game between the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
and
Pittsburgh Steelers at
Heinz Field
Acrisure Stadium is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Pittsburgh Panth ...
. With 3:48 remaining in the fourth quarter, Washington cornerback
DeAngelo Hall
DeAngelo Eugene Hall (born November 19, 1983) is a former American football defensive back who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Virginia Tech and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons eighth ov ...
was taken to the ground by Pittsburgh wide receiver
Emmanuel Sanders
Emmanuel Niamiah Sanders (born March 17, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at SMU, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third ...
during the play. Following the play, Hall rose from the ground, removed his helmet (a violation of NFL rules), and approached McKenzie, who was walking into the field of play from the sideline. Hall argued for a foul to be called while using expletives, making McKenzie retreat and ultimately throw his flag, along with side judge Don Carlsen. When McKenzie walked away from Hall to report the foul to referee
Pete Morelli, Hall confronted both him and Morelli with more expletives, before being escorted away by Carlsen, line judge
John Hussey, and other Washington teammates. Hall was assessed two fouls, ejected from the game, and was later fined $30,000.
In the days following the incident, McKenzie claimed that Hall gave him death threats, which prompted the foul, and ejection.
Hall denied the threats were issued, and claimed McKenzie was equally at fault for the incident. McKenzie was not disciplined for his involvement in the play. In January 2013, McKenzie, who was originally assigned to officiate the Redskins Wild Card playoff game against the
Seattle Seahawks, was reassigned to the Wild Card game between the
Indianapolis Colts and
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...
, to avoid a potential conflict with Hall. McKenzie's assignment was replaced by head linesman Derick Bowers.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Dana
Living people
National Football League officials
People from Wellington, Ohio
Year of birth missing (living people)