Football: Hayes headed for Big Easy

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - Laird Hayes of Newport Beach and Orange Coast

College, an NFL side judge, has been selected by the league as one of the

seven officials to work Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans Feb. 3.

For Hayes, 52, it’s his first Super Bowl appearance. Super Bowl

officials are chosen on merit, not seniority. Crews are broken up

following the NFL season and only invited officials work playoff games.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” said Hayes, in his seventh year as an NFL

official, after working several years in college football in the Pac-10.

“I knew I was having a good year, but I feel pretty darn lucky to go

to the Super Bowl.”Hayes said the grind of traveling about 25 weekends a

year is tough on his family, but his wife, Maggie, and two children

(daughter Katie, 19, and son Andy, 10) have been supportive.

“I couldn’t have done it without them,” said Hayes, also the men’s

soccer coach at OCC.