# John Hussey

> John Hussey is the founder and CEO of CUDDLY and a longtime NFL official. He turned a $25,000 angel investment in a pet-adoption crowdfunding idea into a full-time mission: giving animal rescues fundraising, marketing, wish-list and commerce tools. CUDDLY says its community has raised more than $100 million for animal welfare, and Hussey is now extending the model into pet food that funds meals for shelter animals.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at CUDDLY; NFL referee
- **Organizations:** CUDDLY, National Football League
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Idaho State University
- **Known for:** Officiated Super Bowl XLV as a line judge., Promoted to NFL referee in 2015 after joining the league in 2002., Built CUDDLY into a platform serving more than 4,600 shelter and rescue partners.

## Career timeline

- **Age 21** — Started a courier service from his parents' garage.
- **Age 25** — Sold the courier service to a publicly traded company.
- **2002** — Joined the NFL as a line judge.
- **2011** — Officiated Super Bowl XLV as a line judge.
- **2014** — Launched CUDDLY, originally built around pet adoption and crowdfunding.
- **2015** — Was promoted to NFL referee.
- **2020** — CUDDLY announced a $4 million Series A led by Lead Edge Capital.
- **2023** — The CUDDLY Group ranked No. 1,070 on the Inc. 5000.
- **2025** — CUDDLY Food launched in select Dallas-Fort Worth Walmart stores and nationwide on Walmart.com.
- **2026** — CUDDLY reported more than $100 million raised for animal rescues and continued expanding its pet-food program.

## Achievements

- Officiated Super Bowl XLV as a line judge.
- Promoted to NFL referee in 2015 after joining the league in 2002.
- Built CUDDLY into a platform serving more than 4,600 shelter and rescue partners.
- CUDDLY reports more than $100 million in total donations raised for animal welfare.
- The CUDDLY Group ranked No. 1,070 on the 2023 Inc. 5000.
- CUDDLY launched a purpose-driven pet-food line at Walmart in 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Described plans to expand CUDDLY into a broader consumer pet-goods portfolio and said his NFL ambition is to serve as head referee for a Super Bowl.
- **2025-12** — Advocated for pet-food companies to support rescues through sustained partnerships, in-kind donations, storytelling and local events.
- **2025-10** — CUDDLY and Walmart held adoption events around Dallas-Fort Worth to support the launch of CUDDLY Food.
- **2025-09** — CUDDLY Food launched in select Dallas-Fort Worth Walmart stores and on Walmart.com nationwide.
- **2025-04** — Appeared on The Necessary Entrepreneur podcast to discuss purpose-driven purchasing, growth and leadership.

## Links

- Website: https://cuddly.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hussey-28aa0614
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/welovecuddly
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUAGvVfcMcQ2m_mK6ivzytg
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welovecuddly
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/welovecuddly
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@welovecuddly

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-hussey
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-27