Rose Bowl Referee Flubs Name of Sen. Mark Kelly During Coin Flip
After the ref called him “Mark Lewis,” Kelly appeared to be a good sport about the mistake, laughing it off as the official moved along.
Twitter/@justinbaragona
You had one job! During the midfield coin flip ahead of Monday’s Rose Bowl game between Penn State and Utah, referee Michael Vandervelde remembered the names of this year’s Tournament of Roses president and the Rose Parade’s grand marshal. Unfortunately, he forgot the name of the grand marshal’s spouse—who also happens to be a sitting U.S. senator. Just after introducing former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ), who served as the grand marshal of the 134th Rose Parade earlier in the day, Vandervelde turned to her husband, who was standing alongside the ex-congresswoman and gun safety advocate. According to Vandervelde, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ)—a former astronaut who just won re-election—was actually “Sen. Mark Lewis.” Capturing the moment on his smartphone like a casual fan, Kelly appeared to be a good sport about the flub, laughing it off as Vandervelde proceeded with the coin flip.
Here's the Rose Bowl referee introducing Gabby Giffords as the Rose Parade's grand marshal and her husband, "Sen. Mark Lewis" pic.twitter.com/vyDVTlnsqm
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) January 2, 2023
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.