George W. Hayward (December 6, 1951) was an NFL official, retiring in January 2016 after a 25 year career and 425 games. He officiated 19 playoff games, including the 2007 Super Bowl between Payton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears, four conference championships and 4 wild card games.

Hayward is a 1970 graduate of Central High School, where he was all-city and all-district offensive guard. He went on to play defensive and linebacker for Missouri State University. After graduating in 1974, he became an official, working in the Heart of America Athletic Conference and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, The Missouri Valley Conference (I-AA) and in the Big Eight Conference from 1984-1991.

Hayward was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.