Ron Winter

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Ronald J. "Ron" Winter is a National Football League referee. His number is #14 (it was #82 from 1995-1997).

He entered the NFL as a line judge in 1995, and later was promoted to referee in 1998.

Outside of his NFL officiating duties, Winter is a college professor at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Winter's 2006 NFL officiating crew consists of Roy Ellison, Tom Stabile, Tom Stephan, Bill Lovett, John Parry, and Jim Howey.

[edit] New York - San Francisco playoff game

In his first playoff assignment as a referee, Winter and his officiating crew were involved in a controversial finish to a New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers Wild Card playoff game played January 5, 2003. Officials apparently forgot that New York's Rich Seubert, a guard who had lined up legally in a receiver's spot, was an eligible receiver.

Seubert was grabbed and pulled down by Chike Okeafor on a botched field goal attempt while going downfield to receive a pass. The back judge, Scott Green was the downfield official, thus this was his play to cover, but he had to scramble from the goalpost to get into position to cover the play. Green, not knowing that Seubert was eligible, did not throw a flag to signify the penalty. Instead, the Giants were called for having an ineligible man downfield on the play (guard Tam Hopkins, who had crossed the line of scrimmage during the play).

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue described the situtation as the most disappointing officiating blunder he'd seen in his years as NFL commissioner ^[1] and announced that officiating mechanics surrounding field-goal attempts and last plays of games would be changed ^[2].