Dean Blandino
Blandino in 2019
Blandino in 2019
Born (1971-09-13) September 13, 1971
NationalityAmerican
Alma materHofstra University[1]
Occupation(s)XFL Head of Officiating
Fox Sports NFL Rules Analyst
Known forNFL Vice President of Officiating (2013–17)

Dean Blandino (born September 13, 1971) is a rules analyst for Fox Sports. He also serves as the head of officiating for the XFL. He previously served as the NFL's Vice President of Officiating from 2013 to 2017.

Biography

Early years

Blandino grew up in Bellmore, New York, where he played tight end on the high school football team at Wellington C. Mepham High School.[1] He majored in communications at Hofstra University,[1] graduating in 1993.[2]

National Football League

Blandino was hired by Jerry Seeman, starting as an intern in the NFL's officiating department,[1] and became a full-time employee after the 1994 season.[2] Seeman assigned Blandino to organize instant replay when it was introduced in the NFL in 1999; Blandino managed the program for six years, and served as replay official for two Super Bowls.[1] Blandino left the NFL in 2009, and started a business in California to train and evaluate replay officials.[1]

Blandino returned to the NFL in 2012 as director of officiating, and in February 2013 was named Vice President of Officiating, succeeding Carl Johnson, who had held the position for three seasons as successor to Mike Pereira.[2] In August 2014, Blandino was criticized for being seen on a "party bus" with Dallas Cowboys executives in a video released by TMZ.[3][4] Blandino left the NFL in May 2017.[5][6]

Post-NFL career

Blandino joined Fox Sports in June 2017 as a rules analyst for the network's NFL and college football coverage.[7] In May 2018, Blandino took on an additional role, as director of instant replay for NCAA football; the role has an offseason focus, to allow him to continue broadcasting.[8] Blandino was also an officiating consultant for the Alliance of American Football,[9] and is a contributor to The Athletic.[10] He was the executive producer of Her Turf, a 2018 documentary about three female football referees.[11][12]

On January 6, 2020, Blandino was hired by the XFL to be the league’s head of officiating.[13]

Personal life

Blandino is divorced,[14] with two children.[1][15] At some point around 2005, he did stand-up comedy in several comedy clubs in New York City.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Merrill, Elizabeth (January 28, 2015). "Dean Blandino keeps refs in check". ESPN. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 "Dean Blandino named NFL vice president of officiating". NFL.com (Press release). February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  3. ↑ Newell, Sean (August 8, 2014). "NFL Execs Pissed That Head Of Officiating Was Seen On Cowboys Party Bus". Deadspin. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Dean Blandino: Party bus 'had nothing to do' with Cowboys no-call". Sports Illustrated. January 5, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  5. ↑ Seifert, Kevin (April 14, 2017). "Dean Blandino leaving NFL: Why it's important, and what's next". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Sources: Dean Blandino to get TV job after leaving NFL officiating post". ESPN.com. Associated Press. April 14, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  7. ↑ Perez, A. J. (June 6, 2017). "FOX hires Dean Blandino, NFL's former head of officiating, as analyst". USA Today. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  8. ↑ Scarborough, Alex (May 14, 2018). "Dean Blandino to oversee college football replay". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Leadership". aaf.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Dean Blandino". theathletic.com. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Meet the Crew". herturf.com. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Her Turf (2018)". IMDb. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  13. ↑ Florio, Mike (January 4, 2020). "Dean Blandino is the XFL's head of officiating". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  14. ↑ Good Calls podcast, hosted by Dean Blandino June 4, 2020
  15. ↑ King, Peter (April 17, 2017). "On Dan, Dean and the Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
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