Big Ten Conference recruits women and minorities at spring event

The Big Ten Conference held a clinic in April and invited women and people of color to learn more about being an official in one of college football's biggest conferences. The focus of the clinic was to highlight efforts of diversity, equity and inclusion. https://www.footballzebras.com/2020/10/in-a-year-of-awakening-big-ten-fields-a-historic-officiating-crew/ Former NFL referee and current Big Ten

New book shows officiating is ‘A Tough Job Made Harder’

Review by Mark Schultz If you've followed Football Zebras for any length of time, you know that we break down football officiating and (hopefully) show you how difficult calling a football game is. Between interpreting complicated rules, avoiding getting run over by people twice their size, tuning out 50,000 people chanting

Umpire Butch Hannah retires after 18 seasons

Embed from Getty Images   In a late offseason move, umpire Butch Hannah retired from the NFL according to multiple sources. Football Zebras does not know the reason Hannah left the league, but it has been indicated he initiated the move. His last game was the Raiders-Texans Wild Card Playoff game in January. Much like

Turnover margin: 10 NFL officials not returning in 2014

There will be at least 10 officials who will will not return to the field in 2014.  At the end of the season, five officials were confirmed to be retiring.  A few weeks later, Football Zebras was first to report that Ron Winter had retired. We now know that head linesman

Al Jury presented with Art McNally Award

Former field judge Al Jury is being honored by the NFL with the Art McNally Award for his distinguished officiating career. He will be formally presented with the award by the outgoing executive vice president of football operations, Ray Anderson, in a ceremony prior to the Pro Bowl in Honolulu. Jury

League reboots search for new VP of refs

It is not exactly America's Got Talent, but finding the new vice president of officiating is turning out to be one tough audition. Peter King of SI.com is reporting that the league is restarting its process to find a replacement for current officeholder Mike Pereira. Pereira announced on the NFL Network