James Bernard Barnhill (February 5, 1921 – March 11, 1966) was an on-field official in several sports, including professional American football with the American Football League (AFL) for it first six seasons, from 1960 through 1965.
[1] He was a member of the AFL's officiating crew from its inception and served as the referee in the league's first championship game, played between the Houston Oilers and the Los Angeles Chargers in Houston on January 1, 1961.
In boxing, he was a president and chairman of the Golden Gloves Association of America.
Barnhill, age 45, collapsed while officiating a high school basketball sectional playoff game in Brookfield, a suburb west of Milwaukee, and was taken to Waukesha Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
[1] This biographical article relating to an American football player, coach, or other figure is a stub.