National Football League

Clete Blakeman

Profession: Personal Injury Attorney and NFL Referee Clete Blakeman is a personal injury trial lawyer in Omaha, Nebraska, and a Referee in National Football League.

Clete works exclusively with personal injury and wrongful death cases in Nebraska and Iowa and is a member of several legal associations including the American Bar Association and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), a national organization that is committed to preserving our legal system and maintaining the standards of integrity and honor within the legal profession. 

Clete grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska and was a 1 st Team All State Quarterback in 1982. He was selected to play in the 1983 Nebraska Shrine Bowl all-star game. Clete attended the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and was a three-year letterman at quarterback for the Huskers. In 1987, he was selected to the First Team All Big-Eight Academic Football squad.

Following his playing days, Clete began officiating football. He was a NCAA Division 1 college football official with the Big XII Conference for seven years prior to joining the NFL in 2008. In 12 seasons, Clete has officiated over 190 NFL games including 10 playoff games. He officiated both the 2017 and the 2018 AFC Championship Games. Clete was the Alternate Referee for Superbowl XLVIII and, in February of 2016, he was Referee for Superbowl 50 between the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers.