Michael Carey (born August 17, 1949) is a retired American football official in the National Football League (NFL). His uniform number was 94. Prior to his officiating career, he played college football as a running back for Santa Clara University. Carey was designated as referee of Super Bowl XLII between the New England Patriots and New York Giants, becoming the first African American referee to receive the prestigious assignment. Carey officiated the same two teams when they played each other during the final week of the 2007 NFL season.