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Ron Winter | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1946-02-06)February 6, 1946 (age 79) Kalkaska, Michigan, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | NFLofficial (1995–2013) |
Ronald J. Winter (born February 6, 1946) is a formerAmerican football official who officiated in theNational Football League (NFL) from the1995 through2013 seasons. Winter previously served as a football official for theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Winter wore uniform No. 14 (previously No. 82, 1995–1997). His 2013 NFL officiating crew consisted of umpireCarl Paganelli, head linesman Jim Howey, line judge Gary Arthur, field judge Scott Steenson, side judge Tom Hill, and back judge Greg Steed.[1] He was the alternate referee forSuper Bowl XLIII.
Winter was one of the first NFL referees to wear eyeglasses on the field.Fred Silva was the first wearing glasses in 1988.
Winter was a physical education professor atWestern Michigan University inKalamazoo, Michigan. He retired at the end of the 2007–08 school year after having served for more than 38 years.[2]
Winter was a referee in theBig Ten Conference. His final game as a collegiate official was the1995 Orange Bowl, whenNebraska defeatedMiami 24–17 concluding a 13–0 season and winning a national championship. It was the first national championship for Cornhuskers coachTom Osborne after 22 seasons as the coach.
He entered the NFL as a line judge in 1995, and later was promoted to referee in 1998 afterDale Hamer returned to the head linesman position andGary Lane returned to the side judge position.
In his first playoff assignment as a referee, Winter refereed theNew York Giants andSan Francisco 49ersWild Card playoff game in January 2003. During the game back judgeScott Green did not realize that New York'sRich Seubert had lined up legally in a receiver's spot and failed to call a defensive pass interference foul against him during a failed field goal attempt, instead penalizing him for ineligible receiver downfield. CommissionerPaul Tagliabue described the situation as the most disappointing officiating blunder he had seen in his years as NFL commissioner[3] and announced there would be changes in the officiating of field goal attempts and during the last plays of games.[4]
Winter announced his retirement on April 3, 2014.[5]