2016 Wild Card Playoffs
Torbert, Allen, Wrolstad, and Hochuli are Wild Card referees
Football Zebras has confirmed the referees for the Wild Card weekend.
Football Zebras has confirmed the referees for the Wild Card weekend. Officials are listed with their uniform number, years of NFL 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: generally, 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). When alternates are listed, their position during the regular season is also given. The prior playoff experience that is listed for the crew chief includes his service as an NFL official, including as referee and any other crew position (excluding alternate assignments).
Interestingly, the Wild Card weekend features a referee getting his first postseason assignment and concludes with the referee who has the most postseason games of any active referee with 25.
Saturday, Jan. 7
AFC Wild Card: Raiders at Texans, 4:30 p.m. ESPN ABC
Ron Torbert is the referee for the Raiders-Texans game, and is in his 7th season and 3rd as referee. This is his 5th postseason assignment, including 3 Wild Card Playoffs and 2 Divisional Playoffs; he has received a playoff assignment in every year he was eligible.
| Â | Â | Â | Yrs | 2016 crew | College | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 62 | Ron Torbert | 7 | Â | Michigan State | attorney |
| U | 40 | Butch Hannah | 18 | Anderson | Middle Tennessee State | retired federal probation officer |
| HL | 74 | Derick Bowers | 14 | Coleman | East Central | sales representative |
| LJ | 68 | Tom Stephan | 18 | McAulay | Pittsburg State | business broker |
| FJ | 33 | Steve Zimmer | 20 | Wrolstad | Hofstra | attorney |
| SJ | 56 | Allen Baynes | 9 | Hussey | Auburn | realtor |
| BJ | 83 | Shawn Hochuli | 3 | Allen | Claremont | financial advisor |
- Replay:Â Billy Smith
- Alternates: Fred Bryan (U), Walt Coleman IV (SJ), Greg Meyer (BJ)
NFC Wild Card: Lions at Seahawks, 8:15Â p.m. NBC
Brad Allen, who is in his 3rd season, is the referee for the Lions-Seahawks matchup. This is Allen’s first playoff assignment in his second year of eligibility. Allen was hired directly to the referee position from the NCAA in 2014.Â
| Â | Â | Â | Yrs | 2016 crew | College | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 122 | Brad Allen | 3 | Â | Pembroke State | non-profit CEO |
| U | 44 | Jeff Rice | 22 | Coleman | Northwestern | attorney |
| HL | 134 | Ed Camp | 16 | Boger | William Paterson | physical education teacher |
| LJ | 18 | Byron Boston | 22 | Anderson | Austin | tax consultant |
| FJ | 103 | Eugene Hall | 3 | Boger | North Texas | federal agent |
| SJ | 73 | Joe Larrew | 15 | Blakeman | St Louis | attorney |
| BJ | 46 | Perry Paganelli | 19 | Parry | Hope College | retired high school administrator |
- Replay:Â Jim Lapetina
- Alternates: Walt Anderson (R), Jeff Lamberth (SJ), Mike Weatherford (FJ)
Sunday, Jan. 8
AFC Wild Card: Dolphins at Steelers, 1:05Â p.m. CBS
Craig Wrolstad is the referee as the Dolphins visit the Steelers. He is in his 14th season, and this is his 3rd as referee. This is his 11th postseason assignment, including 5Â Wild Card Playoffs, 3 Divisional Playoffs, 2 Conference Championships, and Super Bowl XLVII. His Super Bowl assignment was as a field judge.
| Â | Â | Â | Yrs | 2016 crew | College | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 4 | Craig Wrolstad | 14 | Â | Washington | athletic director |
| U | 31 | Barry Anderson | 10 | Wrolstad | North Carolina State | builder/developer |
| HL | 91 | Jerry Bergman | 15 | McAulay | Robert Morris | sales executive |
| LJ | 101 | Carl Johnson | 13 | Morelli | Nicholls State | full-time official |
| FJ | 15 | Rick Patterson | 21 | McAulay | Wofford | banker |
| SJ | 120 | Jonah Monroe | 2 | McAulay | Arkansas | systems engineer |
| BJ | 119 | Greg Wilson | 9 | Anderson | USC | law enforcement |
- Replay:Â Larry Nemmers
- Alternates: Jeff Triplette (R), Gary Arthur (LJ), Jabir Walker (FJ)
NFC Wild Card: Giants at Packers, 4:40 p.m. Fox
Ed Hochuli is the referee for the Giants-Packers game. Hochuli is in his 26th season and 24th as referee. This is Hochuli’s 25th postseason assignment, the most of any active official, which include 10Â Wild Card Playoffs, 5Â Divisional Playoffs, 8 Conference Championships, and Super Bowls XXXII and XXXVIII.
Hochuli and his crew worked a Sunday night game between the Giants and Packers in week 5 at Lambeau Field.
| Â | Â | Â | Yrs | 2016 crew | College | Occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 85 | Ed Hochuli | 27 | Â | Texas-El Paso | attorney |
| U | 19 | Clay Martin | 2 | Hochuli | Tulsa | high school basketball coach |
| HL | 13 | Patrick Turner | 3 | Corrente | Cal State-Long Beach | plant manager |
| LJ | 59 | Rusty Baynes | 7 | Hochuli | Auburn-Montgomery | general manager, safety services |
| FJ | 86 | Jimmy Buchanan | 8 | Hussey | South Carolina State | insurance agent |
| SJ | 125 | Laird Hayes | 22 | Anderson | Princeton | owner of football camps for high school and youth |
| BJ | 17 | Steve Patrick | 3 | Blakeman | Jacksonville State | owner, supply company |
- Replay:Â Earnie Frantz
- Alternates: Bryan Neale (U), Ron Marinucci (LJ), Adrian Hill (FJ)
