Bill Vinovich
| Bill Vinovich | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |
 United States |
| Occupation | NFL official (2001–2006), (2012-Present), College basketball official |
Bill Vinovich is an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) from 2001 to 2006 and since 2012, as well as a college basketball official.
Vinovich began his career in the NFL as a side judge on the officiating crew headed by referees Dick Hantak (2001) and Ed Hochuli (2002–2003)[1] before being promoted to referee for the start of the 2004 NFL season after former referee Ron Blum returned to his original position of line judge. In the NFL, he wears uniform number 52.
As a college basketball official, Vinovich officiated a first round contest between Virginia Tech and Illinois in the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament on March 16, 2007. Due to a heart condition, Bill Vinovich retired from field duty prior to the 2007 season, to serve as the replay official for Ed Hochuli. He was replaced as a referee by former side judge John Parry.
In 2012, doctors gave Vinovich a clean bill of health, and he returned for the 2012 NFL season as a substitute official, working several games during the season. His first game back since 2006 was on October 14, 2012, heading Scott Green's crew in Philadelphia.[2]
He was the referee of Super Bowl XLIX, played on February 1, 2015 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.[3] Before that, he was the alternate referee of Super Bowl XLVII, which was played in New Orleans on February 3, 2013. In addition, Vinovich has officiated seven other post-season games, including two conference championship games (2002 and 2015), three divisional playoff games (2003, 2012, and 2014), and two wild card playoff games (2006 and 2013).[4]
Vinovich's 2016 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Bruce Stritesky, head linesman Phil McKinnely, line judge Mark Perlman, field judge Michael Banks, side judge Gary Cavaletto, and back judge Greg Meyer.[5]
Outside his officiating career, Vinovich works as a certified public accountant.
References
- ↑ Behind the Football Stripes officiating crew archive
- ↑ "Bill Vinovich to return to field as referee". footballzebras.com. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
- ↑ Austro, Ben (January 14, 2015). "Bill Vinovich confirmed as referee for Super Bowl XLIX". FootballZebras. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
- ↑ Bill Vinovich NFL Official Statistics at Pro Football Reference
- ↑