Classroom to Gridiron: Kansas City principal earns spot in NFL

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) - From the school hallways to the NFL sidelines, an Arrowhead Middle School principal is headed to the big leagues.

Larry Smith was named an official for the upcoming 2025 NFL season.

According to the NFL Operations website, seven officials are selected for each game throughout the course of the season to ensure accuracy and consistency. Smith is now set to join this elite group.

Last week, Smith got the call from the NFL letting him know he made it to the next level of officiating, a moment he won’t forget for the rest of his life.

“It’s very rewarding to have this position,” said Smith.

Arrowhead Middle School students are used to seeing principal Smith greeting them in the hallways, but this fall they’ll spot him on national television as the NFL’s newest referee.

When asked if he would look good in stripes, he had quite a confident response.

“Oh, I know I look good in stripes,” he said. “Vertical stripes, not the horizontal ones.”

Jokes aside, he knows it’s a rare opportunity. He said less than 1% of officials get a chance for an interview and revealed his process took six years.

“To achieve this position, it’s not a job you apply for they actually come find you,” he explained. “There’s a process I’m sure they go through with hundreds of officials to make it the one of 151 officials who get to work at this level.”

Smith said this goal is the result of years of relentless dedication.

“This has been a culmination of a lot of work, a lot of clinics, a lot of games, a lot of rule studying,” he said.

He’s not a rookie. He was the lead official for the 2023 USFL Championship game.

Smith worked several other big games, including the 2025 Peach Bowl between Arizona State and Texas and 2022 Sugar Bowl game between Alabama and Kansas State. In addition, Smith has spent nearly a decade officiating at the Big Ten Conference, a role that has shaped his leadership on the field.

His staff agrees he’s the perfect fit and the entire school will be cheering him on.

“With the tough skin that Mr. Smith has, him being able to deescalate situations, that will put him in a great position to cover all the basis for being at the NFL Level,” said Rufus Parker, Behavior Interventionist at Arrowhead Middle School.

Smith admits that being a principal and an NFL official is the peak of his career -- and hopes to inspire his students.

“I love being a principal, I love being in touch with our community, to be in touch with our parents, our alumni,” he said, “I think having the officiating title on top of it gives them something else to look at and to aspire to.”

Smith said now he will have to take some tests, attend a clinic and in about three weeks will get his crew assignment.

The school has not notified the students yet, although some have found out through social media.

He will formally let students and parents know when they send out their newsletter at the end of the week.

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