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Tra Blake

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Tra Blake
Blake in 2022
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of Central Florida
OccupationNFL official (2020–present)

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]

Career

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Blake 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 re-assigned 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]

On October 24, 2024, during a Thursday Night Football match between the Vikings and Los Angeles Rams, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold was grabbed by the facemask from Rams outside linebacker Byron Young, which resulted in a safety. Blake's crew missed this crucial facemask call, and the Rams would go on to win the game, 30-20. [9]

2024 crew[10]

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  • 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

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Blake resides in Clermont, Florida. Outside of the NFL, Blake is a quality assurance director for an Orlando-based pharmaceutical software company.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Tra Blake NFL Official Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  2. ^ Schultz, Mark (August 13, 2022). "A numbers game: 2 officials change uniform numbers". Football Zebras. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Umpire Tra Blake promote to referee position". Football Zebras. March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  4. ^ "Officiating crews for the 2019 AAF season". Football Zebras. February 7, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  5. ^ "Officiating crews for the 2020 XFL season". Football Zebras. January 28, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  6. ^ "Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Commanders - September 11th, 2022". https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202209110was.htm. Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2025. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)
  7. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings - December 17th, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  8. ^ "Las Vegas Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers - December 24th, 2022". https://www.pro-football-reference.com/officials/BlakTr0r.htm. Pro Football Reference. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |website= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  9. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams - October 24th, 2024". https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202410240ram.htm. Pro Football Reference. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |website= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  10. ^ Austro, Ben (May 28, 2024). "Officiating crews for the 2023 season". Football Zebras. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
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  • Media related to Tra Blake at Wikimedia Commons