Jerome "Tra" Blake is an American professional football official in the National Football League (NFL) since the 2020 NFL season, wearing uniform number 33 until 2021; he now wears uniform number 3.[1][2]
Tra Blake | |
|---|---|
 Blake in 2022 | |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Central Florida |
| Occupation | NFL official (2020–present) |
Career
editBlake officiated in Conference USA and the Atlantic Coast Conference, where he worked at deep wing and referee positions.[3] Blake was also a referee for the Alliance of American Football in 2019 and the XFL in 2020.[4][5]
Blake was hired by the NFL in 2020 as a field judge. He was reassigned to the umpire position in 2021, and was promoted to referee for the start of the 2022 NFL season following the retirement of Tony Corrente.[3]
On September 11, 2022, Blake called his first game as a head referee: a 28-22 Washington Commanders win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at FedEx Field.[6] On December 17, 2022, Blake officiated the largest comeback in league history, as the Minnesota Vikings came back from a 33–0 deficit against the Indianapolis Colts to win in overtime, 39–36.[7] Blake also worked the Christmas Eve matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Las Vegas Raiders, on a day where the league honored Franco Harris, who passed away four days prior. The Steelers won the contest, 13–10.[8]
- R: Tra Blake
- U: Carl Paganelli
- DJ: Patrick Turner
- LJ: Tom Eaton
- FJ: Mearl Robinson
- SJ: Don Willard
- BJ: Grantis Bell
- RO: Tyler Cerimeli
- RA: Tim Robinson
Personal life
editBlake resides in Clermont, Florida. Outside of the NFL, Blake is a quality assurance director for an Orlando-based pharmaceutical software company.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Tra Blake NFL Official Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
- ^ Schultz, Mark (August 13, 2022). "A numbers game: 2 officials change uniform numbers". Football Zebras. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Umpire Tra Blake promote to referee position". Football Zebras. March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ "Officiating crews for the 2019 AAF season". Football Zebras. February 7, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ "Officiating crews for the 2020 XFL season". Football Zebras. January 28, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- ^ "Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Commanders - September 11th, 2022". www.pro-football-reference.com. Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings - December 17th, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
- ^ "Las Vegas Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 24th, 2022". www.pro-football-reference.com/officials/BlakTr0r.htm. Pro Football Reference.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Austro, Ben (May 28, 2024). "Officiating crews for the 2023 season". Football Zebras. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
External links
edit
Media related to Tra Blake at Wikimedia Commons
