Jim Tunney ( American football official ) Dr . Jim Tunney ( born March 3 , 1929 ) is a former American football official in the National Football League ( NFL ) from 1960 to 1991 . In his 31 years as an NFL official , Jim Tunney received a record 29 post - season assignments , including ten Championship games and Super Bowls VI , XI , and XII and named as an alternate in Super Bowl XVIII . He is still the only referee who has worked consecutive Super Bowls , and likely will be the only one to do so . Nicknamed the " Dean of NFL Referees " , Tunney was the first official to be named to the " All - Madden Team " in 1990 and won the " Gold Whistle Award " in 1992 from the National Association of Sports Officials ( NASO ) . He wore uniform number 32 for most of his career , but when the NFL numbered each position separately from 1979 through 1981 rather than assigning one number per official , he wore number 3 . Tunney ' s trademark signal upon a successful field goal , or extra point , featured raising his arms with fists clenched , then opening both fists simultaneously to indicate the attempt as " good " . Officials who worked on Tunney ' s crew for many years included former NFL great Pat Harder at umpire and head linesman Burl Toler , the NFL ' s first African - American official . After graduating from Occidental College in 1951 , Tunney starting officiating football and basketball working high school , college , and Pacific Coast Conference ( Pac - 10 ) games until 1967 . In 1960 , he was hired to work in the NFL as a field judge before being promoted to the referee position in 1967 where he would stay for the remainder of his career until retiring after the 1990 NFL season . His final game was the 1991 AFC Championship Game between the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Raiders played January 20 , 1991 . Still active in league affairs and many sports issues , Tunney was a member of Commissioner Tagliabue ' s Officiating 2000 Committee , and was Vice Chair of the U . S . Olympic Committee for Northern California ( Sydney 2000 Games ) . In 1993 , he founded the Jim Tunney Youth Foundation , which supports community programs and resources that work with youth to develop leadership , work skills , wellness , and self - esteem . He writes a weekly column for the " Monterey Herald " and is a motivational speaker . Jim Tunney was the Boy ' s Vice Principal at Abraham Lincoln High School in the City of Los Angeles , California . Memorable games . Here is a listing of some notable games Tunney was involved in : Educator . Off the field , Tunney has had a long career as an educator and school administrator , starting out in 1951 as a teacher at Los Angeles ' Lincoln High School , later becoming vice principal from 1959 to 1964 . He then served as a principal of Los Angeles high schools Fairfax ( 1964 – 1970 ) , Franklin ( 1972 ) , and Hollywood High School ( 1973 – 74 ) . He became assistant superintendent of secondary education for the Bellflower Unified School District in 1975 and served as the district ' s superintendent in 1977 . He left education for 16 years before becoming headmaster from 1993 to 1994 of the York School in Monterey , California , joining the school ' s board of trustees in 1995 and remaining in that post to this day . He also joined the board of trustees for Monterey Peninsula College in 1997 and still serves on the board .