Gene Steratore
Encyclopedia
Gene Steratore is an American football official in the National Football League (NFL)
since 2003. He began in the league as a field judge and was promoted to referee at the start of the 2006 NFL season
, one of two new referees (Jerome Boger
the other) for that season, following the retirements of Bernie Kukar
and Tom White
. He wears uniform number 114.
referee, mainly working in the Northeast
. He officiates in many conferences, including the Big 10 Conference, Big East Conference
, Atlantic 10 Conference, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
, and the Colonial Athletic Conference. He also has officiated in the NCAA March Madness Tournament and the NIT.
Gene has an older brother, Tony
, also an NFL official, who is a back judge currently assigned to Jerome Boger
's officiating crew. His father, Gene Steratore Sr., was a college football
official and basketball
referee.
Steratore resides in Washington, Pennsylvania
, where he and his brother are the co-owners of Steratore Sanitary Supplies, outside of his NFL officiating duties.
and New York Giants
after Bernie Kukar, the crew chief, was injured during a play in which he was hit in the back by the Giants' Clarence LeBlanc after a blocked punt.
Steratore worked his first NFL playoff game as a referee between the Arizona Cardinals
and the Carolina Panthers
on January 10, 2009 at Bank of America Stadium
in Charlotte, North Carolina
. Exactly one year later, he refereed the Baltimore Ravens
' 33–14 victory over the New England Patriots
in an American Football Conference
Wild Card match at Gillette Stadium
in Foxborough, Massachusetts
.
Steratore's 2011 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Bill Schuster, head linesman Wayne Mackie, line judge Ron Marinucci, field judge Bob Waggoner, side judge Mike Weatherford and back judge Dino Paganelli.
Steratore was involved in a controversial instant replay call during Week 1 of the 2010 NFL season
between the Detroit Lions
and the Chicago Bears
at Soldier Field
in Chicago
. Late in the fourth quarter, Lions receiver Calvin Johnson
caught what was originally ruled as the winning touchdown for Detroit. However, Steratore reviewed the play and overturned the call to an incomplete pass, ruling that Johnson lost control of the ball while going to the ground before he "completed the process of completing the catch". The rule applied in this situation states, "If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone." Discussions to repeal this controversial rule will be made in the off-season.
Despite speculation that the Calvin Johnson ruling was incorrect, Steratore was supported by the National Football League and backed by its former commissioner Mike Pereira on Fox Sports.
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
since 2003. He began in the league as a field judge and was promoted to referee at the start of the 2006 NFL season
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
, one of two new referees (Jerome Boger
Jerome Boger
Jerome Boger is an American football official in the National Football League since the 2004 NFL season. He wears uniform number 23 since 2006; before that, he wore uniform number 109. He started in the league as a line judge and was promoted to referee in 2006 after two seasons...
the other) for that season, following the retirements of Bernie Kukar
Bernie Kukar
Bernie Kukar is a former American football official in the National Football League for 22 seasons from the 1984 to the 2005 season. He wore uniform number 86....
and Tom White
Tom White (American football official)
Tom White was an American football official in the United States Football League from 1983-1986 and then National Football League for seventeen seasons from the 1989 to 2005 seasons. He started in the league as a head linesman and was promoted to referee with the start of the 1990 NFL season. He...
. He wears uniform number 114.
Personal
Steratore is also a college basketballCollege basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
referee, mainly working in the Northeast
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
. He officiates in many conferences, including the Big 10 Conference, Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
, Atlantic 10 Conference, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. MAAC teams compete in the NCAA's Division I. Most of the members are Catholic or formerly Catholic institutions; the only exception is the private but secular Rider...
, and the Colonial Athletic Conference. He also has officiated in the NCAA March Madness Tournament and the NIT.
Gene has an older brother, Tony
Tony Steratore
Tony Steratore is a back judge in the National Football League since the 2000 NFL season, who wears uniform number 112, and is on the officiating crew headed by referee Jerome Boger. Referee Gene Steratore Jr. is his younger brother. His father, Gene Steratore Sr., was an official in both college...
, also an NFL official, who is a back judge currently assigned to Jerome Boger
Jerome Boger
Jerome Boger is an American football official in the National Football League since the 2004 NFL season. He wears uniform number 23 since 2006; before that, he wore uniform number 109. He started in the league as a line judge and was promoted to referee in 2006 after two seasons...
's officiating crew. His father, Gene Steratore Sr., was a college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
official and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
referee.
Steratore resides in Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
, where he and his brother are the co-owners of Steratore Sanitary Supplies, outside of his NFL officiating duties.
NFL career
Steratore took over briefly as referee during a December 28, 2003 regular season game between the Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
and New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
after Bernie Kukar, the crew chief, was injured during a play in which he was hit in the back by the Giants' Clarence LeBlanc after a blocked punt.
Steratore worked his first NFL playoff game as a referee between the Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
on January 10, 2009 at Bank of America Stadium
Bank of America Stadium
Bank of America Stadium is a 73,778-seat football stadium located on of land in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. It is the home facility of the Carolina Panthers NFL franchise. It also hosts the annual Belk Bowl which features teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East...
in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. Exactly one year later, he refereed the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
' 33–14 victory over the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
in an American Football Conference
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
Wild Card match at Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium
Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution...
in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Foxborough, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,246 people, 6,141 households, and 4,396 families residing in the town. The population density was 809.1 people per square mile . There were 6,299 housing units at an average density of 313.7 per square mile...
.
Steratore's 2011 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Bill Schuster, head linesman Wayne Mackie, line judge Ron Marinucci, field judge Bob Waggoner, side judge Mike Weatherford and back judge Dino Paganelli.
Steratore was involved in a controversial instant replay call during Week 1 of the 2010 NFL season
2010 NFL season
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...
between the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
and the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
at Soldier Field
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Late in the fourth quarter, Lions receiver Calvin Johnson
Calvin Johnson (American football)
Calvin Johnson, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Lions second overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia Tech....
caught what was originally ruled as the winning touchdown for Detroit. However, Steratore reviewed the play and overturned the call to an incomplete pass, ruling that Johnson lost control of the ball while going to the ground before he "completed the process of completing the catch". The rule applied in this situation states, "If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone." Discussions to repeal this controversial rule will be made in the off-season.
Despite speculation that the Calvin Johnson ruling was incorrect, Steratore was supported by the National Football League and backed by its former commissioner Mike Pereira on Fox Sports.