Name Armen Terzian Role Referee | Died 1989 | |
Armen Terzian (1915–1989) was an American-Armenian American football official in the National Football League (NFL) from 1961 to 1981. He was a field judge and wore uniform number 23, which was later worn by two African-American referees: Johnny Grier, and currently, Jerome Boger.
Terzian officiated an NFC Divisional Playoff game in December 1975 at Metropolitan Stadium between the Minnesota Vikings and the visiting Dallas Cowboys. Following a late Hail Mary touchdown pass by the Cowboys to take the lead, an angry fan threw a whiskey bottle that hit Terzian in the forehead, rendering him momentarily unconscious. He did not require stitches, but had to wear a large white bandage around his forehead for the final few seconds remaining in the game.
The following season, he officiated Super Bowl XI, also a Vikings' loss.