Michael "Mike" Carey (born c. 1949) has been an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) since the 1990 NFL season. His uniform number is 94. Prior to his officiating career, he played college football as a running back for Santa Clara University (SCU).
Carey is a respected official in the NFL for his thorough pre-game preparation, professional demeanor, and fair play. In a poll conducted by ESPN in 2008, Carey tied with referee Ed Hochuli for most "best referee" votes among NFL head coaches. He has also ejected the most players in the league among current referees, as of 2002, including incidents involving Sean Taylor and Terrell Suggs. Beginning his seventeenth year as referee with the 2011 NFL season, Carey's officiating crew consists of umpire Chad Brown, head linesman Dana McKenzie, line judge Tim Podraza, field judge Mike Weir, side judge Boris Cheek and back judge Kirk Dornan.
Carey was designated as referee of Super Bowl XLII between the New England Patriots and New York Giants, becoming the first African American referee to receive the prestigious assignment. Carey officiated the same two teams when they played each other during the final week of the 2007 NFL season.
Carey is one of the two senior referees in the NFL, along with Walt Coleman. Carey was promoted in 1995 when the league added the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars and thus needed an extra officiating crew to handle up to 15 games per weekend instead of 14, which had been the case between 1976 and 1994.
Famous quotes containing the words mike and/or carey:
“Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to seduce me. Aren’t you?”
—Calder Willingham, screenwriter, Buck Henry, screenwriter, and Mike Nichols. Ben Braddock (Dustin Hoffman)
“All ye poets of the age,
All ye witlings of the stage,
Learn your jingles to reform,
Crop your numbers to conform.
Let your little verses flow
Gently, sweetly, row by row;
Let the verse the subject fit,
Little subject, little wit.
Namby-Pamby is your guide,
Albion’s joy, Hibernia’s pride.”
—Henry Carey (1693?–1743)