His older brother, Arthur, played linebacker at UCLA, and was a captain his senior year.
Akers, a widower, resides in Salem. His wife, Brenda, died two days after giving birth to their son, Arthur, now a senior at St. John’s Prep.
It’s easier to crack a bank vault than it is to enter the small society of NFL officials, but Akers holds on to the dream. He’s still young and in good shape. He realizes NFL officials work under intense scrutiny: “It’s unbelievable. You make one mistake and you’ll see it 100 times on ‘SportsCenter.’ ”
But he’s ready for the bright lights. Maybe he’ll find out whether NFL crews take a limo to the game.
Lenny Megliola can be reached at lennymegs@aol.com.
© Copyright 2013 Globe Newspaper Company.
