NORFOLK, Va., January 5, 2015 - The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) completed its first year of partnership with the National Football League’s (NFL) Officiating Development Program and  acknowledges the contributions it has made to the conference’s overall football officiating program.

“We are pleased to complete our first year of our partnership with the NFL officiating program,” said MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas. “We are constantly looking at how to improve our football officiating program and this partnership with the NFL allows us the opportunity to accomplish this.  I would like to thank and commend Dean Blandino, NFL Vice President of Officiating, and NFL Director of Officiating David Coleman for their visionary leadership for the betterment of football officiating everywhere.”

The partnership is designed to educate MEAC officials in all areas of football officiating.  Conference officials benefited from NFL instructional clinics, were evaluated by NFL personnel during games and increased their knowledge of officiating through the use of state-of-the-art videos and equipment.

“Our partnership with the MEAC is important to the future of officiating,” Blandino said. “It plays a key role in supporting our Officiating Development Program and our efforts to ensure that the pipeline of officiating talent is strong.”

The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference is comprised of 13 outstanding historically black academic institutions located alongside the Atlantic Coastline.  Eleven institutions compete in football in the conference and the NCAA Division I (FCS) including Bethune-Cookman, Delaware State, Florida A&M, Hampton, Howard, Morgan State, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T State, North Carolina Central, Savannah State, and South Carolina State. 

For more information about MEAC Football, log on to www.MEACsports.com.