We Fawned Over This Hot Super Bowl Ref — Now Hear What He Has to Say!

Besides Ryan Reynolds, referee Clete Blakeman was the hot guy to watch at Super Bowl 50. The 51-year-old lead official (who's married — sorry, guys) won over fans during the game with his fit physique, snug striped shirt, and general handsomeness. Other facts we know about Blakeman: he's a personal injury lawyer, he was a backup quarterback at Nebraska in the '80s, and he lives in Omaha, NE. Fans tweeted their support with hashtags like #rippedref and #hotref. There's even a Hot Ref Twitter account, naturally.

And this morning we finally heard from him! Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb chatted with Blakeman on the Today show, asking, "Were you surprised? Were you thrilled? Were you embarrassed?" And he replied, "Actually a little bit of all — everything about it."

See some of our favorite tweets and hot pics of Blakeman in action over the years!