Nashville's Art Demmas, former NFL referee, dies at 82

Legendary NFL referee Art Demmas, a Nashville resident and former Vanderbilt football standout, died Saturday. He was 82.

A hard-nosed lineman, Demmas was co-captain of the 1956 Vanderbilt football team. He earned All-SEC Third Team honors and was named to the Academic All-America Second Team.

Demmas helped lead the Commodores to the 1955 Gator Bowl and a 25-13 win over Auburn. It not only was Vanderbilt’s first bowl game, but the only bowl the Commodores would play in until earning a berth in the Peach Bowl 19 years later.

After graduating from Vanderbilt, Demmas embarked on a long football officiating career. He started out in 1958 calling high school games and then moved to the SEC, where he officiated for eight seasons.

In 1967, Demmas made his debut in the NFL as an umpire and quickly became recognized as one of the top officials on the pro level.

From 1970 until he retired in 2006, Demmas was assigned to four Super Bowls ( (XIII, XVII, XXV, and XXVIII) and numerous playoff games. By the end of his career, he was one of the most decorated officials in NFL history.

Demmas was respected not only by his peers, but also by many of the coaches and players in the NFL.

"Art was a good fella," said former NFL great Archie Manning, whose career paralleled Demmas'. "We were on the field together many times. We had such a good relationship that after our careers on the field ended we would often show up at the same functions. If I was asked to speak I would always mention that Art was there and tell a story, which was fictitious but Art was such a good guy he didn't mind it. I would say he was working one of my games at New Orleans and in the tunnel at halftime I told him, 'Art, that might have been the worst officiated half of football I've ever seen.' And he said, 'If you thought that half was bad wait until you see this half.'"

By 1984, Demmas had become the NFL’s senior umpire.

Former Tennessean columnist Larry Woody wrote in 1984 that Demmas and fellow Nashvillian Don Orr, who at the time had a combined 53 years as NFL officials, “…are considered two of the finest refs ever to fling a flag, and are highly regarded in the NFL’s inner circle.”

Demmas later become the Southern Coordinator of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame while also training NFL referees.

In 1997 Demmas was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and also received the Vanderbilt Legend’s Award.

Arrangements have not yet been made.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 and on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.