Walt Anderson (American football)
| Walt Anderson | |
|---|---|
 Anderson in November 2008 | |
| Born |
c. 1952 (age 63–64) DeFuniak Springs, Florida |
| Nationality |
 United States |
| Education |
University of Texas (Doctorate of Dentistry, 1978) Sam Houston State University (Bachelor's degree, 1974) |
| Occupation |
NFL official (1996–present) Coordinator of Football Officials, Big 12 (2006–present) |
| Spouse(s) | Afshan |
| Children | 5 (1 with wife) |
Dr. Walt Anderson (born c. 1952)[1] is an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) since the 1996 NFL season.[2] Anderson spent his first seven seasons in the NFL as a line judge before being promoted to referee for the start of the 2003 NFL season after Dick Hantak and Bob McElwee announced their retirements.[3] He is notable for officiating Super Bowl XXXV. Anderson was also named as referee for Super Bowl XLV which was played on Feb. 6, 2011, in Arlington, Texas, at Cowboys Stadium.[4] He wears uniform number 66.
Early life
Born in DeFuniak Springs, Florida, Anderson was raised in Channelview, Texas where his father was a high school football head coach.[3] He played quarterback for his father at Channelview.[3] Later, he played football for Sam Houston State University, where he was a two-time Academic All-American[2] and lettered four years.[3] He graduated from Sam Houston State in 1974.[2]
Family
He is married to Afshan and they have one child together (he and his wife each have two children from previous marriages).[2] He currently resides in Sugar Land, Texas.[2]
Other professions
After completing his undergraduate studies at Sam Houston, he became a dentist and received a Doctorate of Dentistry from the University of Texas Dental Branch.[2] He retired from dentistry in 2003 when he was promoted to referee in the NFL.[3]
On April 26, 2006, Anderson was named Coordinator of Football Officials for the Big 12 Conference, succeeding former NFL field judge Tim Millis in this position.[2]
Officiating career
Early years
Wanting to stay active in football following college, Anderson decided to pursue a career in officiating.[1] He began officiating junior high and little leagues, high school, then eventually college.[1] In 11 years of college experience, he worked games in the Lone Star (Division II), Southland (Division I-AA), and Southwest Conferences (Division I).[2] At the college level, Anderson was scouted by ex-NFL officials who were looking to fill openings at the professional football level.[1]
National Football League
Anderson joined the NFL in 1996 and, as of 2006, he had worked playoff games in every year of eligibility;[2] as of 2012, he had officiated in 14 playoff games, including seven Wild Card, two Divisional, three Championship games, and two Super Bowls: Super Bowl XXXV in 2001 and Super Bowl XLV in 2011.[5] He was the referee in the January 18, 2015 AFC Championship game, known for the deflategate controversy. Anderson cites Super Bowl XXXV as being his most memorable game.[1]
Anderson's 2015 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Butch Hannah, head linesman Steve Stelljes, line judge Byron Boston, field judge Eugene Hall, side judge Laird Hayes, and back judge Todd Prukop.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Q&A with NFL Referee Walt Anderson". Cleveland Browns. 2003-08-26. Archived from the original on 2003-08-28. Retrieved 2006-07-21.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Walt Anderson Named Big 12 Conference Coordinator Of Football Officials". Big 12 Conference and CSTV. 2006-04-26. Archived from the original on 2006-06-26. Retrieved 2006-07-21.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Davis, Brian (2006-11-17). "Big 12 officials get plenty of looks". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
- ↑ http://www.shsu.edu/~pin_www/T@S/sliders/2011/waltanderson.html
- ↑ "Super Bowl officiating crew includes Anderson as referee". nfl.com. 2012-07-26 [2011]. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
- ↑ http://www.footballzebras.com/2015/06/04/12764/
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