Hopefully, the referee at the Rose Bowl saved his only major mistake for the pregame coin toss.
During the ceremony, head referee Michael Vandervelde introduced Arizona Senator Mark Kelly as “Senator Mark Lewis.” Kelly and his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords, were on the field as honorary captains before Penn State faced Utah.
Vandervelde’s error was noted immediately by viewers.
“That time Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) became “Senator Mark Lewis” in front of 100,000 watching at the Rose Bowl and millions more at home on ESPN,” said Media and Politics columnist Joe Concha.
“Poor Mark Kelly. Recording the big coin toss moment with his wife and he gets introduced as Mark Lewis,” added Dana O’Neil of The Athletic.
“First official missed call in the Rose Bowl- calling Senator Mark Kelly “Mark Lewis,” a fan noted.
“Senator Mark Lewis.. Senator Mark Kelly just laughed and didn’t worry about correcting,” said another fan.
Props to Kelly for shaking off the mistake with ease.
You can watch Penn State and Utah in the Rose Bowl on ESPN.