Gordon McCarter, 71; Officiated NFL Games for Nearly 30 Years

Gordon McCarter, 71, an NFL referee whom Pittsburgh Steeler Coach Bill Cowher once chased across the field to stuff a snapshot of a play into his pocket, died Friday in a Cleveland hospital. No cause of death was given.

McCarter, a referee from 1974 until his 1996 retirement, was in charge of several disputed games during his last years.

The most memorable incidence came in 1995, when he made an incorrect call, saying that 12 Pittsburgh players were illegally on the field in a game against Minnesota, when there were only 11. League rules at the time did not allow photographic evidence to overturn calls.

McCarter was fined a game’s pay for his incorrect call, and Cowher was also fined for stuffing the Polaroid photo into the referee’s pocket.

McCarter joined the NFL as a line judge and back judge in 1967. Before that, he officiated at junior high and high school football games and amateur track meets.