When the ball kicked off for Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8, the spotlight was not only on the players but also on three HBCU alumni who were officials entrusted with calling the biggest game in sports. Umpire Roy Ellison (Savannah State), Line Judge Julian Mapp (Grambling State), and Back Judge Greg Steed (Howard) took their places on the seven-man officiating crew for Super Bowl LX, a powerful reminder that HBCUs shape the NFL far beyond the sidelines.Their presence fits into a larger lineage of HBCU pioneers in officiating. Johnny Grier, the first Black NFL referee, worked Super Bowl XXII — the same game where Grambling’s Doug Williams shattered a historic barrier at quarterback.From playing fields to press boxes, front offices to officiating crews, HBCU influence keeps growing. As Messieurs Ellison, Mapp, and Steed take the field, they bring more than whistles. They bring the legacy of their schools and show that HBCU excellence belongs on football’s biggest stage.
