Ed Hochuli

Ed Hochuli
Hochuli in 2017
Born (1950-12-25) December 25, 1950 (age 73)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Texas at El Paso
University of Arizona Law School
Occupation(s)NFL official (1990–2017)
Attorney (Jones, Skelton & Hochuli, P.L.C.) (1983–2021)
Children6 (including Shawn Hochuli)
Websitejshfirm.com/attorneys/ehochuli

Edward G. Hochuli[1] (/ˈhɒkjʊli/ HOCK-yuu-lee; born December 25, 1950)[2] is an American retired attorney and former American football official. He served as an attorney at Jones, Skelton & Hochuli, P.L.C. from 1983 to 2021, and was an official in the National Football League (NFL) from 1990 to 2017; his uniform number was 85. Before becoming a football official, he played college football for four seasons at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).

Hochuli worked numerous playoff games including two Super Bowls. He is best known for his athletic/muscular physique[3] (height: 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m); weight: 230 pounds (100 kg)[4]), and for explaining on-field rulings in a manner that is comprehensive yet also clear and concise.[5] In a poll conducted by ESPN in 2008, Hochuli tied fellow referee Mike Carey for "best referee" votes (eight each) among NFL head coaches.[6] In his 28th season in the league and 26th as a referee (crew chief) with the 2017 NFL season, Hochuli's officiating crew consisted of umpire Shawn Smith, down judge Greg Bradley, line judge Rusty Baynes, field judge Dale Shaw, side judge Alex Kemp, and back judge Scott Helverson.[7]

After the retirements of Gerald Austin and Larry Nemmers following the 2007 season, Hochuli became the NFL's longest-tenured referee for the next decade. He announced his own retirement in March 2018.[8] In 2019, his son Shawn Hochuli—previously a referee in the Arena Football League and a back judge in the NFL—was promoted to referee.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference AttorneyBio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "NFL Official Ed Hochuli — Part I". Officiating.com. July 2, 2001. Retrieved September 10, 2007.
  3. ^ Cherrin, Amanda (January 10, 2006). "NFL Referee Workout: Never Flagging". CNN Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved August 28, 2006.
  4. ^ "Rugged Males Over 60 Who Can Still Whoop Your Ass". The Rugged Male. May 7, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  5. ^ Schmidt, Michael S. (April 22, 2007). "30 Seconds with Ed Hochuli". The New York Times. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
  6. ^ Sando, Mike (July 11, 2008). "Rating refs touchy subject for NFL coaches". ESPN. Retrieved July 12, 2008.
  7. ^ "Officiating crews for the 2017 season". footballzebras.com. June 13, 2017.
  8. ^ Knoblauch, Austin (March 6, 2018). "NFL referees Ed Hochuli, Jeff Triplette retiring". NFL.com. Retrieved March 6, 2018.