Sanford Rivers found way to NFL as official

The former South High player was an NFL official for 16 seasons.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
Sanford Rivers is the only member of the South High-NFL connection who didn't play in the NFL, but he spent more years in that circuit than all of the others -- as an official.
"I just retired this past August, but I was an NFL official for 16 years," said Rivers, a 1962 South High graduate who played two years each for John McAfee and Sonny Friend as a running back and defensive back.
After leaving South, Rivers played football for Dike Beede at Youngstown State and then one year for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, before becoming an NFL official in 1989.
"I am getting an NFL pension," said Rivers, noting that, "After five years [as an official], you are eligible for a pension."
Rivers, who lives in Pittsburgh, also has been part of the Carnegie Mellon University administration for the past 34 years and has served as assistant vice president for enrollment since 1989.
Will take new job
However, he will be leaving his Carnegie Mellon job Nov. 1 to join the Pennsylvania Gaming Commission as one of seven gaming commissioners.
Rivers said he got interested in officiating after leaving YSU and then worked his way up the ladder all the way from the bottom.
"I was in graduate school and officiating an intramural game and some guy saw me give the signals and told me I would make a good official," recalled Rivers. "And I remembered Dike Beede and the fact that his wife made the first penalty flag. So I took the officials test in 1972 and started officiating midget football.
"Then when the kids got bigger I started officiating high school and college, and then in 1989 I broke into the NFL."
Rivers said the best thing he liked about being an NFL official was doing a good job and being respected for it.
"I liked just knowing the players and that they respected you for what you were assigned to do," said Rivers. "I was fortunate that I established a reputation as being fair and honest and allowed them to play football [according to] the rules."
1957 game got him interested
Rivers said that as a young boy and watching his older brother, Donald Rivers, play in the 1957 South-Campbell high school football game at South High Stadium, got him interested in wanting to play football for South.
"That was the best football game I ever saw," said Sanford Rivers, recalling that Campbell had a back named Nate Murray (Girard High's Cachet Murray's grandfather). "I was a little kid attending that game and that's what made me want to play for South, and I couldn't wait to play for South."
That 1957 South team, which also had Lisbon and other backfield stars Mervin Spencer and Lou Floyd on the roster, went undefeated, while Campbell ended 9-1 under coach John Knapick.
Sanford Rivers said Donald Rivers joined the U.S. Navy and didn't play college football.
kovach@vindy.com