Experience Scottsdale - (Page 23) Good By Pam Hait events fit every gameplan Call! Ed Hochuli, NFL referee www.ExperienceScottsdale.com 23 “I’ve been honored to work two Super Bowls, in 1998 and 2003,” says Ed Hochuli, a Valley attorney and NFL referee.“The Valley can be very proud of getting the Super Bowl this year.” One of the senior officials, Hochuli has worked for the NFL for 18 years. “Players will comment, ‘I’ve been watching you on TV since I was a kid.’ It makes me feel old,” he says with a smile. “But experience is key to officiating. NFL rules are extremely complicated, and not a week goes by that I don’t see something I’ve never seen before.” Hochuli admits that he never watches a game.“I watch my position. I don’t pay attention to the score. I’m behind the quarterback for every snap. I never even see the guy catch the pass. “Sometimes a player will complain,‘Ed. He’s holding me.’ I’ll say,‘I got a memo saying that you’re so much better than he is that I have to let him hold you,’” he grins. A father of “six beautiful kids” and grandfather of seven, Hochuli began officiating at Pop Warner games, moving up to high school and collegiate football. “I didn’t know it, but the NFL scouts college games for officials,” he says. Once selected, officials are graded after every game by the NFL. “Our grades determine who does and does not get to officiate in playoff games and the Super Bowl. There’s more scrutiny as an NFL official than anything I have ever been involved in,” he emphasizes. Hochuli works 20 games a season plus clinics and camps. He watches 15 hours of tapes a week, takes weekly tests and practices law. “For six months I have two full-time jobs,” he says. What keeps him on the field? “I love that I have to make a decision with so much on the line. It’s an adrenaline rush. I like the challenge and the pressure.” As for the super pressure of the Super Bowl, Hochuli says,“It’s a tremendous honor. But you have to treat it like any other football game. You have to zone in on the game and not think of anything else but your position.” When he’s not officiating at the Super Bowl, Hochuli gives his tickets to his kids. “I get tired of football,” he confesses. “Last year I went to a movie.” http://www.scottsdalecvb.com/story/index.cfm?catid=10&storyid=100 http://www.ExperienceScottsdale.com
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