SALINA, Okla. (KNWA/KFTA) — The officiating crew for the Super Bowl will include a Cherokee Nation citizen for the first time.

Jerod Phillips, 48, is a teacher and coach at Wickliffe Elementary School and he was chosen to serve as the down judge official in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, February 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The officiating crew, selected using benchmarks including season-long performance, has the most combined Super Bowl experience since 2000.

This is Phillips’ first selection to The Big Game. He taught in Grove, Okla. for 14 years and has been at Wickliffe in Salina for two years, where he serves as a teacher and basketball coach.

“Cherokee Nation citizens continue to succeed in many different roles and industries across the world, and that includes the realm of professional sports. Jerod Phillips, who first began officiating amateur sports in 1993 and climbed his way to the professional ranks in the NFL by 2016, is yet another example of the limitless potential and ability that Cherokees possess,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. in a social media post. “The Cherokee Nation is extremely proud of Jerrod for becoming the first official to represent the tribe in a Super Bowl. This is one of many accomplishments he has already garnered in an outstanding professional career.”