29 Facts About Ed Hochuli

Edward G Hochuli is an American retired attorney and former American football official.

Ed Hochuli was born on December 25,1950, in Milwaukee living there until age eight before his family moved to Tucson, Arizona.

Ed Hochuli went to Canyon del Oro High School in the Tucson suburb of Oro Valley, Arizona, graduating in 1969.

Ed Hochuli earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Arizona Law School in 1976.

Shawn Ed Hochuli is one of his sons and played college football at Pitzer College.

Shawn Ed Hochuli worked in Arena Football League and arenafootball2 games.

Ed Hochuli is married to Lorrie Hochuli and they have two daughters: Devan and Ryann.

Scott Ed Hochuli's brother, Daniel Ed Hochuli, is the town attorney for Sahuarita, Arizona, and his brother Peter is a judge at the Pima County Juvenile Court in Tucson.

Ed Hochuli is admitted to practice in Arizona state and federal courts and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Ed Hochuli began officiating Pop Warner football games as a law student to earn additional income, which was suggested by one of his former high school coaches as "a way to stay in touch with the game".

Ed Hochuli's interest in officiating carried over into baseball where he was a Little League Baseball umpire from 1970 to 1973.

Ed Hochuli was hired by the NFL in 1990 as a back judge after applying to the league before the 1989 NFL season.

Ed Hochuli was promoted to referee in 1992 when longtime referee Stan Kemp was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease and forced to retire.

Ed Hochuli had worked a pre-season game that year in Tokyo, Japan, as a back judge when he received a telephone call following the game from then-Senior Director of Officiating, Jerry Seeman.

At the time, Ed Hochuli had "no idea" what happened during the play and had to confer with three other officials to piece together the sequence of events.

Ed Hochuli was a referee in the 2003 Divisional Playoff game between the Packers and the Eagles.

Ed Hochuli officiated the first regular season game at University of Phoenix Stadium on September 10,2006, when the Cardinals hosted the 49ers.

Ed Hochuli was the referee for the game between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, played December 17,2006, that included Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre becoming the all-time leader for pass completions among quarterbacks in the NFL.

On September 14,2008, Ed Hochuli officiated a game between the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos.

Ed Hochuli made an incorrect call with 1:17 left in the game, while Denver was in possession of the ball at the San Diego one-yard line and they were trailing the Chargers by seven points.

Ed Hochuli blew his whistle during the play, signaling that the play was dead and ruling an incomplete pass.

Ed Hochuli has served as the head of the NFL Referees Association, the union which represents NFL game officials.

Ed Hochuli's rise in popularity is believed to have been started by Phil Simms, a former NFL quarterback and then color commentator for the NFL on CBS, who made reference to the size of Hochuli's arms during a telecast.

Ed Hochuli is often affectionately referred to as "Hochules", a portmanteau of his last name and "Hercules", in homage to his large biceps.

Ed Hochuli's recognition extends to the streets, in airports, and in the courtroom.

Ed Hochuli has been approached by notable athletes such as former National Basketball Association player Charles Barkley at the airport.

The half-hour television program detailed the game preparations that Ed Hochuli went through from Monday to Saturday during the season.

Ed Hochuli's likeness appears in the Madden NFL video game franchise beginning with Madden NFL 06.

Ed Hochuli appeared on the cover of the October 8,2012 issue of Sports Illustrated.