Football fans everywhere are familiar with the face and voice of Mike Pereira, the FOX Sports football rules analyst. Each week, Pereira explains the reasoning behind key calls and controversial rulings made during games. At 73, the former vice president of National Football League (NFL) officiating is still a fixture of Sunday television but also devotes time to an organization he considers a big part of his legacy: Battlefields to Ballfields.
April 27, 2018
SACRAMENTO, CA – Mike Pereira, CEO/President of ‘Battlefields2Ballfields’ today announced a partnership with renowned ‘Camp Oxy’ a Southern California-based officials training group.
‘Camp Oxy’ [campoxy.com] is run by Nardy Samuels, a retired 27-year Pac-12 football official, along with Mickey Edwards. The group’s mission, Samuels says, “is to train and maintain local high school officials, and help them achieve their ultimate goals of officiating at the highest levels.”
Fully authorized by the California Interscholastic Federation, ‘Camp Oxy’ officials work in both the many passing leagues found throughout the Southland, in addition to tackle football venues.
“I have had the chance to observe Nardy’s and Mickey’s work for quite a while now,” Pereira says. “They have done great things with young officials, and this is the perfect venue for our ‘Battlefields2Ballfields’ veterans to get their early training.”
‘Camp Oxy’ began at East Los Angeles College. It features a three-students-to-one-instructor ratio “which is important to us, so there’s no standing around,” Samuels says. The instructors come from the Southern California officials ranks.
Samuels witnessed first-hand the progress of Hector Tarango, who was one of the first to apply for B2B assistance as he transitioned from military duty to civilian life.
“Hector was great. Like a lot of our guys, they come to us with no [officiating] experience at all. Their first time is with us. You could see the difference in Hector from the beginning and he was vastly improved at the end,” Samuels continued. ‘It’s all about getting them onto the field and watching it grow from there.”
For complete information on ‘Camp Oxy’, including registration guidelines, go to the company website, www.campoxy.com.
June 28, 2017 | By Tod Leonard, San Diego Union-Tribune
Heading for Bend, Ore., for some fishing and golf from his home in Sacramento, Mike Pereira had a long drive ahead of him and plenty of time to think.
Somewhere around Redding, the former director of NFL officiating and current Fox Sports rules commentator says he started to ponder the troubled state of officiating. Too few people are joining the ranks, and the current refs suffer constant abuse and disrespect.
SACRAMENTO, CA -- A record full field of 148 golfers took part in the inaugural 'Battlefields2Ballfields' tournament held June 19 at Del Paso Country Club.
Under the direction of B2B founder Mike Pereira, his wife Gail, and a hard-working corps of volunteers, the tournament was followed by a three-course dinner, a silent auction of sports memorabilia and then a live auction.
June 3, 2017 | By Jarrett Bell
Mike Pereira chuckled when asked whether he missed his old job.
"I think I can do without those 80-hour work weeks during the season,” Pereira, who served nine years as the NFL’s director of officiating, told USA TODAY Sports this week.
He left the rigors and, well, perks of overseeing the game officials to become the high-profile rules analyst for Fox in 2010 – and now often second-guesses the officials on national TV.
The B2B Invitational is a fun-filled 18 holes of championship golf at the famed Del Paso Country Club in Sacramento, CA. Del Paso was the site of the 2015 United States Senior Open Championship, and the world’s finest senior golfers marveled at both the competitiveness and fairness of the 6,702-yard layout.
The tournament date is June 19, 2017, with registration beginning at 10:30 am and a shotgun start at 12 noon.
Registration is $325 per individual golfer and $1,200 per foursome. 18 holes of golf, cart, lunch, dinner and on-course beverages are included. Dinner and a live auction follow the golf and all proceeds will benefit U.S. armed forces veterans. For event and registration information, see attached PDF file.
Many veterans face an uphill battle when they return home as they figure out how they will integrate back into society. This is what motivated Mike Pereira to create create the foundation “Battlefields to Ballfields.’’ The Foundation will provide scholarships to veterans who return from defending our country with an opportunity to get integrated back into their community through officiating.
March 25, 2017 | By Jonathan Winslow
Photo Credit - Matt Masin, Orange County Register, SCNG: Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team players wait to be announced during the 3rd Annual Veterans Resource Fair at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo on Saturday, March 25, 2017.
MISSION VIEJO — Hundreds gathered at Saddleback College on Saturday, March 25, for the third annual Veterans Resource Fair, which offered both typical and unexpected services for veterans.
The fair included all the usual groups: Patriots and Paws, Veterans of Foreign Wars – who were serving up barbecue to long lines – and more offering help with everything from PTSD to real estate.
One of this year’s standouts was a new group, Battlefields to Ballfields, which sets veterans up with jobs as sports officials and referees at local schools. It pays their costs for the first several years and providing them mentors to sharpen their skills. The program was started by former NFL referee Mike Pereira.
March 22, 2017 | By Kevin Lilley
Athletics-minded veterans seeking community involvement, or some extra cash, can receive a significant head start on the path to becoming a sports official thanks to a nonprofit recently started by a former top NFL referee.
March 22, 2017
Murph & Mac from KNBR interview Mike Pereira on the latest NFL updates including Battlefields to Ballfields.
