By: Scott Bentley | Southfield Sun | Published January 27, 2026
SOUTHFIELD — Southfield resident Shawn Smith has been selected to be the referee of Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.
The game will be played at Levi’s Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers, and will feature the New England Patriots of the AFC and the Seattle Seahawks of the NFC.
The title of referee is a prestigious one. As referee, Smith will be the head official in the biggest sporting event of the year. This is Smith’s 11th postseason assignment and his first Super Bowl.
The crew for the game has a total of eight officials and eight alternates who will be ready if needed. According to footballzebras.com, a website that provides news on football officials, Smith was an alternate in each of the previous two Super Bowls.
“The Super Bowl (LX) assignment is just a really big deal for me,” Smith said in a video that all game officials record before the Super Bowl, as officials aren’t permitted to participate in media interviews during the season. “Working to become recognized as one of the top officials in the league and getting to work in the biggest game is just a heck of an accomplishment.”
Smith got his start officiating recreational basketball leagues as a teenager. He then continued at Ferris State University and didn’t start officiating football until after he graduated.
“A few years after I graduated from college, I registered with the state of Michigan and made it official to become a registered football and basketball official,” Smith said. “I began my journey at the high school ranks and the Pee Wee ranks.”
Smith has been an official for the NFL since 2015 and was promoted to referee in 2018. He’s officiated a postseason game every year he’s been eligible.