Football Zebras has confirmed the officiating crews for the Wild Card weekend. Officials are listed with their uniform number, years experience (including this season), the crew each official worked with in the regular season (by the referee’s name), college, and outside occupation.
All times are Eastern.
Three alternates are assigned to each game: one is designated for the offensive backfield (a referee or umpire), one is on the line of scrimmage (head linesman or line judge), and one is a deep position (side judge, field judge, or back judge).
The prior playoff experience listed for the crew chief includes his service as an NFL official, including as referee and any other crew position (excluding alternate assignments).
Saturday, Jan. 4
AFC Wild Card: Chiefs at Colts, 4:30 p.m. (NBC)
Walt Anderson is the referee, who is in his 18th season and 11th as referee. This is Anderson’s 16th postseason assignment (8 Wild Card Playoffs, 2 Divisional Playoffs, 4 Conference Championships, and Super Bowls XXXV and XLV).
| Yr. | Crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 66 | Walt Anderson | 18 | Texas | college officiating coordinator, retired dentist | |
| U | 44 | Jeff Rice | 19 | Anderson | Northwestern | attorney |
| HL | 22 | Steve Stelljes | 12 | Anderson | Friends | business planning manager |
| LJ | 108 | Gary Arthur | 17 | Winter | Wright State | president, commercial printing company |
| FJ | 82 | Buddy Horton | 15 | Anderson | Oregon State | water service worker |
| SJ | 67 | Doug Rosenbaum | 13 | Carey | Illinois Wesleyan | financial consultant |
| BJ | 61 | Keith Ferguson | 14 | Leavy | San Jose State | sales |
- Alternates: Undrey Wash (backfield), Ed Camp (linesman), Laird Hayes (deep)
- Replay official: Bob McGrath
- Replay assistant: Russell Yurk
- Supervisor: TBA
- Observer: TBA
Last season, Stelljes was assigned to the Super Bowl and Rosenbaum to the AFC Conference Championship.
NFC Wild Card: Saints at Eagles, 8 p.m. (NBC)
Bill Vinovich is the referee, who is in his 8th year and 5th as referee. This is his 5th postseason assignment (2 Wild Card Playoffs, 2 Divisional Playoffs, and 1 Conference Championship).
| Yr. | Crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 52 | Bill Vinovich | 9 | San Diego | accountant, former NFL officiating supervisor | |
| U | 81 | Roy Ellison | 11 | Coleman | Savannah State | technical staff member |
| HL | 91 | Jerry Bergman | 12 | Coleman | Robert Morris | sales executive |
| LJ | 9 | Mark Perlman | 13 | Leavy | Salem | teacher |
| FJ | 33 | Steve Zimmer | 17 | Vinovich | Hofstra | attorney |
| SJ | 58 | Jimmy DeBell | 5 | Vinovich | SUNY-Brockport | physical education teacher and golf coach |
| BJ | 63 | Jim Quirk | 4 | Vinovich | Middlebury | financial advisor |
- Alternates: Scott Green (backfield), Jeff Lamberth (linesman), Jimmy Buchanan (deep)
- Replay official: Bill Spyksma
- Replay assistant: Terry Sullivan
- Supervisor: TBA
- Observer: TBA
Sunday, Jan. 5
AFC Wild Card: Chargers at Bengals, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Jeff Triplette is the referee, who is in his 18th season and 15th as referee. This is Triplette’s 12th postseason assignment (7 Wild Card Playoffs, 4 Divisional Playoffs, and 1 Conference Championship).
| Yr. | Crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 42 | Jeff Triplette | 18 | Wake Forest | restructuring consultant | |
| U | 40 | Butch Hannah | 15 | Triplette | Middle Tennessee State | retired federal probation officer |
| HL | 5 | John McGrath | 12 | Leavy | Kentucky | vice president of sales |
| LJ | 32 | Jeff Bergman | 22 | Triplette | Robert Morris | president and chief executive officer, medical services |
| FJ | 80 | Greg Gautreaux | 12 | Coleman | SW Louisiana | athletic programs manager |
| SJ | 116 | Mike Weatherford | 12 | Steratore | Oklahoma State | energy trader |
| BJ | 12 | Greg Steed | 11 | Winter | Howard | computer systems analyst |
- Alternates: Phil McKinnely (linesman), Dave Meslow (deep), Tony Steratore (deep)
- Replay official: Al Hynes
- Replay assistant: Don Langeloh
- Supervisor: TBA
- Observer: TBA
NFC Wild Card: 49ers at Packers, 4:30 p.m. (Fox)
Ed Hochuli is the referee. This is his 24th year as referee and 22nd as referee. This is Hochuli’s 22nd postseason assignment, the most of any active official (7 Wild Card Playoffs, 6 Divisional Playoffs, 7 Conference Championships, and Super Bowls XXXII and XXXVIII).
| Yr. | Crew | College | Occupation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 85 | Ed Hochuli | 24 | Texas-El Paso | attorney | |
| U | 49 | Rich Hall | 10 | Hochuli | Arizona | custom cabinetry |
| HL | 28 | Mark Hittner | 17 | Hochuli | Pittsburg State | investment broker |
| LJ | 107 | Ron Marinucci | 17 | Blakeman | Glassboro State | vice president, novelty cone company |
| FJ | 50 | Mike Weir | 12 | Carey | Missouri | owner, sporting goods store |
| SJ | 95 | James Coleman | 9 | McAulay | Arkansas | electrical engineer |
| BJ | 27 | Lee Dyer | 11 | McAulay | Tennessee-Chattanooga | sales manager |
- Alternates: Mike Spanier (linesman), Larry Rose (deep), Terry Brown (deep)
- Replay official: Tom Sifferman
- Replay assistant: Roger Ruth
- Supervisor: TBA
- Observer: TBA
Big game for “Guns.” I think if there are no issues in Green Bay, he’s getting the Super Bowl assignment. As noted earlier, the Triplette assignment is a frickin’ joke, especially back in Cincinnati.
No Bill Leavy???
So, you get suspended for using foulmlanguage toward a player, and you get a playoff game?! Amazing, simply amazing. If a replacement did that last year, heck, even a HS or NCAA official, you would never work again! Any other profession you would be fired.
Meslow gets rewarded for setting aside the sideline rule in the Steelers vs Ravens game. That should have resulted in his suspension and disqualification from post season. That was an egregious non call that could have affected the outcome of the game.
Meslow deserves to be suspended not rewarded for that non call involving Tomlin on the sidelines in Baltimore. That had to be the worst non call of the season. He set aside a rule!
Stay warm you 2 Arizona boys (Ed and Rich). Have a great game!
Ed Hochuli is by far one of the best referees in the NFL…His in depth comments show a masterful knowledge of the game Love every game I see him officiate!
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