History of Adrian Hill (American football official) in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: November 21, 2025

Adrian Hill (American football official)

T. Adrian Hill is an American professional football official in the National Football League (NFL). He joined the NFL in 2010 and wears uniform number 29. His specific role as an official isn't detailed, but he contributes to ensuring fair play and adherence to rules during NFL games.

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Full Timeline

2000: Aerospace Software Engineer at Johns Hopkins

In 2000, Adrian Hill was hired as an aerospace software engineer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Space Exploration Sector.

2004: College Football Officiating

In 2004, Adrian Hill started his college football officiating experience in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

2006: Engineer of the Year

In 2006, Adrian Hill was named Engineer of the Year by the Baltimore chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

2007: NFL Europe Line Judge

In 2007, Adrian Hill officiated four games in the now-defunct NFL Europe league as a line judge.

September 12, 2010: First NFL Game

On September 12, 2010, Adrian Hill made his first appearance as an NFL official during a game between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys at FedExField as a line judge.

2010: NFL Career Begins

In 2010, T. Adrian Hill began his career as an American professional football official in the National Football League (NFL), and was assigned uniform number 29.

2013: IEEE Aerospace Conference Paper

In 2013, Adrian Hill was the lead author of "Command and Data Handling Flight Software test framework: A Radiation Belt Storm Probes practice", a paper presented at the IEEE Aerospace Conference.

2019: Promotion to Referee

In 2019, Adrian Hill was promoted to referee with the start of the NFL season, following the retirements of Pete Morelli and Walt Coleman. He became the seventh African-American to receive this honor.

June 2020: Residence in Bowie, Maryland

As of June 2020, Adrian Hill resided in Bowie, Maryland with his wife, VaLerie. He is the brother of Seattle radio host, Steve "The Thrill" Hill.

January 3, 2021: Roughing the Passer Penalty

On January 3, 2021, Adrian Hill called a roughing-the-passer penalty against Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker after he sacked Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings on a 4th and goal play. The call was highly criticized.