Ridgeland firefighter referees Army-Navy

A Ridgeland firefighter and college football referee checked a big game off of his bucket list when he officiated the historic Army-Navy game earlier this month.

“It was a great game,” Woodson said. “Surely a bucket list game.”

Sean Woodson is a captain at the Ridgeland Fire Department and has been with the city for 17 years. He has been officiating since 2004 when he left professional football.

“It is just a great opportunity to stay around the game and be part of the game I love,” Woodson said. 

Woodson was born and raised in Jackson and graduated from Jim Hill High School. There he was a multi-sport athlete and would go on to play safety at Jackson State University after he graduated from Jim Hill in 1992.

Upon his graduation from JSU in 1996, he was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the fifth round. He would also play for the Oakland Raiders and did five years in the Canadian Football League before retiring from the sport.

Woodson would start off officiating pee wee football games before working his way up through the ranks. In 2011 he started officiating college football and was doing Division 1 games by 2015. He is now an official for the American Athletic Conference which includes schools like Tulane University and The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

It was his conference's turn to supply officials for the historic rivalry, which is treated as a post-season game such as a bowl game or playoff game. He said he found out he was selected for that game towards the end of the season.

The 124th meeting of the classic rivalry occurred on Dec. 9 in Foxborough, Mass., at Gillette Stadium.

“The sacrifices these kids make is amazing,” Woodson said. “They have to stay in shape and study and they are preparing to defend our country.”

According to Woodson, the “pomp and circumstance” of the game is taken to another level with the cadets marching in, flyovers and paratroopers lightly landing on the field.

“You can't love our country and not love that game,” Woodson said.

Aside from all the distractions, Woodson said the game was a “nail-biter.” Army would win 17-11 and Woodson noted Navy had a chance at winning the game until the very end.

“It was an exciting game that came down to the end,” Woodson said. “I was humbled to be. a part of it.”