Ahead of Their Time
Burl Toler was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1928. After graduating from high school, he moved to San Francisco, California, where he enrolled in the City College of San Francisco (CCSF). Toler played linebacker on the City College football team and was named an All-American in the Junior College division. Toler and his teammate at CCSF, Ollie Matson, transferred to the University of San Francisco where they played on the legendary 1951 USF Dons undefeated football team.
At USF, Toler majored in education and played both offensive lineman and linebacker on the football team. His teammates considered him to be the best player on the team. Gino Marchetti said, "He was the best tackler, the hardest hitter, and he had the most speed." In 1952, Toler was drafted into the National Football League (NFL) by the Cleveland Browns. Before he could play in the NFL, however, Toler injured his knee during the college all-star game and was no longer able to play football.
Not to be defeated, Burl Toler soon began officiating college football games in the San Francisco area, and in 1965, he became the first African-American football official in the NFL. He was the first African-American to officiate in a Super Bowl. He retired in 1991 after officiating in the NFL for 25 seasons.
As a football official, Toler often was a head linesman. In this job, he watched the line of scrimmage for offsides and other penalties and then moved downfield to watch for infractions involving pass receivers and their defenders. Toler's intelligence, football knowledge, running ability, and serene demeanor contributed to his success as an official. Besides knowing football rules, Burl Toler knew what players were experiencing and he was able to settle down upset players and not become upset himself by taunts and racial slurs from angry players and racist spectators.
Burl Toler taught math and P.E. at Benjamin Franklin Middle School in San Francisco for 17 years. He served as the first African American secondary school principal in the district. The city council honored Toler by renaming the school Burl A.Toler Middle School. Late in his life he worked as an evaluator and recruiter for NFL referees
Toler was inducted in the City College of San Francisco and University of San Francisco Halls of Fame. He received the Isaac Hayes Achievement in Sports Award and the University of San Francisco Alumnus of the Year. The Burl A. Toler, Sr. Scholarship has been named in Toler's honor at St. Ignatius College Preparatory School in San Francisco.
Burl Toler memorial at the University of San Francisco (includes photo gallery).
Burl Toler obituary from the New York Times, August 20, 2009.
Free, online book & PDF
Order hard copies
Today's Sports News
Feedback
Burl Toler, NFL Official
