Author: Mark Schultz

Mark Schultz is a high school football official, freelance writer and journalist. He first became interested in officiating when he was six years old, was watching a NFL game with his father and asked the fateful question, "Dad, what are those guys in the striped shirts doing?"

5 observations from Super Bowl LIII

by Mark Schultz - 1

The Super Bowl is over, and thankfully we aren't breaking down any officiating controversies today. But there are some interesting officiating nuggets to note. 1. No replays Replay official Jim Lapetina was busy yesterday, but he never had to buzz in with a booth challenge. There were a few plays where I was

Keeping up with the downs: Referee John Parry uses an old-school method for game administration

by Mark Schultz - 1

http://gty.im/1385217 Officials from pee-wee games to the Super Bowl all use a very simple piece of equipment to keep track of the downs. All officials wear an elastic band around their wrist and a loop attached to the band. The officials move the loop over their finger or fingers to show the

Photo Gallery: Let’s meet the Super Bowl LIII crew

by Mark Schultz - 0

Let's meet the Super Bowl LIII crew in photos, courtesy of team photographers and Getty Images. Click on a photo to begin the gallery. http://gty.im/1074739122 http://gty.im/154744813 http://gty.im/596902146 http://gty.im/579780846 http://gty.im/92807442 http://gty.im/456811498 http://gty.im/184407308

Candidates for white hat in 2019

by Mark Schultz - 9

The coveted white hat worn by the referee There are two referee openings for the 2019 season after Walt Coleman and Pete Morelli retired. So far, they are the only two referees we know who have retired. There are very few chances for the NFL to test officials for future referee openings.

7 officiating observations for the 2018 season

by Mark Schultz - 1

Dale Shaw (Tennessee Titans) It was another great football season and, for us, there were several officiating stories from 2018. Here are the seven that stood out to me. 1. Hugo Cruz fired In one of the most shocking events of the year, the NFL fired down judge Hugo Cruz in mid-season. This