Amador County - NFL Football Official Pete Morelli spoke to a full house at the Sutter Creek Community Center Wednesday evening as part of a scholarship benefit for the Sutter Creek Women’s Club. Morelli, who is considered the cream of the crop among NFL officials and fans, is also the 20-year Principal of St. Mary’s High School in Stockton. He has served 6 years as a white hat and 6 years as a field judge in the National Football League. A crowd of professional football fans and curious newcomers to the game listened intently as Morelli regaled them with tales of his career refereeing famous and word-renowned athletes. Morelli is a product of Stockton and said he was always interested in becoming a professional official since his high school days. He was discovered by NFL scouts while reffing college games in the late 1980’s and recruited into the NFL in 1989. Besides requiring at least 5 years of near flawless refereeing at the college level, the NFL puts each potential referee through a rigorous series of tests to even be considered. These include a psychological test, an FBI background check, cholesterol and health tests and a physical. Referees well into their sixties are regularly timed in sprints and sustained running to make sure they can handle the physical requirements of running alongside professional athletes. He said refs typically run six miles in a game. His first game was the Oakland Raiders versus the Dallas Cowboys, and he recalled an amusing story where running back Emmett Smith crawled between his legs, tied his shoes almost without him knowing it, and said “welcome to the game, rookie.” Morelli said, “We consider ourselves the third team on the field.” His obvious ambition and great success resulted in being selected as a top referee for the 2002 Superbowl. His Super bowl ring received many compliments from the audience. “Success is a measure of time, energy and commitment,” said Morelli, adding that he is proud of what he has achieved. All donations from the event will go to benefit the Sutter Creek Women’s Club scholarship program. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Amador County - NFL Football Official Pete Morelli spoke to a full house at the Sutter Creek Community Center Wednesday evening as part of a scholarship benefit for the Sutter Creek Women’s Club. Morelli, who is considered the cream of the crop among NFL officials and fans, is also the 20-year Principal of St. Mary’s High School in Stockton. He has served 6 years as a white hat and 6 years as a field judge in the National Football League. A crowd of professional football fans and curious newcomers to the game listened intently as Morelli regaled them with tales of his career refereeing famous and word-renowned athletes. Morelli is a product of Stockton and said he was always interested in becoming a professional official since his high school days. He was discovered by NFL scouts while reffing college games in the late 1980’s and recruited into the NFL in 1989. Besides requiring at least 5 years of near flawless refereeing at the college level, the NFL puts each potential referee through a rigorous series of tests to even be considered. These include a psychological test, an FBI background check, cholesterol and health tests and a physical. Referees well into their sixties are regularly timed in sprints and sustained running to make sure they can handle the physical requirements of running alongside professional athletes. He said refs typically run six miles in a game. His first game was the Oakland Raiders versus the Dallas Cowboys, and he recalled an amusing story where running back Emmett Smith crawled between his legs, tied his shoes almost without him knowing it, and said “welcome to the game, rookie.” Morelli said, “We consider ourselves the third team on the field.” His obvious ambition and great success resulted in being selected as a top referee for the 2002 Superbowl. His Super bowl ring received many compliments from the audience. “Success is a measure of time, energy and commitment,” said Morelli, adding that he is proud of what he has achieved. All donations from the event will go to benefit the Sutter Creek Women’s Club scholarship program. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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