Bill Carollo
Encyclopedia
William F. "Bill" Carollo (born November 27, 1951) is a retired American football official who officiated National Football League
(NFL) games from the 1989
through 2008
. He wore uniform number 63. Carollo officiated in two Super Bowl
s and seven conference championship games. After the 2008 season, he become the Director of Officiating for the Big Ten Conference
.
, Carollo attended high school
at Brookfield Central High School
where he graduated in 1970. Following high school, he attended University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM) and graduated in 1974 with a degree in industrial relations. At UWM, he was the starting quarterback
for the school's football team from 1970 to 1973.
and is married and has four children.
before becoming Vice President of Global Sales for Milwaukee, Wisconsin
based Manpower Inc.
, and baseball
games. He joined college football
's Big Ten Conference
, where he stayed for ten years and included a selection to work the 1988 Rose Bowl Game
. In addition to officiating football games in the Big Ten, he was a basketball referee from 1982 to 1988. For a period of time, he also served as the Milwaukee Brewers
Official Scorer for the American League
.
in 1996 at that position, then became a referee (crew chief) for the start of the 1997 NFL season
after Red Cashion
and Howard Roe announced their retirements. Carollo was assigned to work his first post-season as referee during the 1998-99 NFL playoffs
and later made his second appearance in the Super Bowl at Super Bowl XXXVII
in 2003. Before he officiated Super Bowl XXXVIII, Mike Pereira
, the NFL's director of officiating, said of Carollo, "Bill is just perfect in the management of a game. He understands how to handle coaches, players and a team of seven officials. He's terrific at that."
While serving as referee of the 1999
NFC Championship game between Tampa Bay
and St. Louis
, Carollo overturned a catch by Tampa Bay
's Bert Emanuel
, that later led to the adoption of the Bert Emanuel Rule. by the NFL. The play consisted of Bert Emanuel making what was ruled a catch at St. Louis' 22 yard line with 47 seconds left in the game and the Buccaneers down by 5. After review, Carollo ruled that the tip of the ball had touched the ground, and even though Emanuel maintained control of the football, Carollo had to rule it an incomplete pass. This led to the NFL clarifying the definitions of both a catch and an incomplete pass, as to avoid this scenario replaying itself in the future. This is known as the Bert Emanuel Rule.
He served as the director of the NFL Referees Association, the union representing NFL officials, from 2000 to March 1, 2006. He was the center of the negotiations that took place during the 2001 NFL season
where there was a work stoppage by game officials. The NFL and its game officials eventually agreed on September 19, 2001 to a new six-year Collective Bargaining Agreement that ended a two-week lockout of the regular officials, who returned to work on September 23, 2001.
His 2007 NFL officiating crew consisted of Bill Schuster, John Schleyer, Gary Arthur, Bill Lovett, James Coleman, and Phil Luckett
.
On November 18, 2007, Carollo became the first referee in 35 years to officiate a game for the same team in back-to-back weeks during the New England-Buffalo game. Bill Leavy
was scheduled to officiate the November 11th Buffalo-Miami game, but fell ill. Carollo served as the referee for that contest using Leavy's crew.
In August 2008, Carollo announced he would retire as an NFL referee at the end of the 2008 NFL season to become the Director of Officiating for the Big Ten Conference
. His final assignment was for the AFC Championship game between the Pittsburgh Steelers
and the Baltimore Ravens
on January 18, 2009. Don Carey
, brother of NFL referee Mike Carey, was promoted from back judge to take Carollo's place as a crew chief.
In Carollo's twenty year NFL career he officiated in two Super Bowls, a third SB as alternate referee, eight NFL Conference Championships and one Pro Bowl. Currently Bill is Director of Officiating for the Big Ten, Mid-American and Missouri Valley football conferences. This new officiating alliance, Midwest Football Officials Alliance was created in 2009 and headquartered in Park Ridge, IL.
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...
(NFL) games from the 1989
1989 NFL season
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
through 2008
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
. He wore uniform number 63. Carollo officiated in two Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s and seven conference championship games. After the 2008 season, he become the Director of Officiating for the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
.
Early life
A native of Brookfield, WisconsinBrookfield, Wisconsin
Brookfield is a city located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 37,920 in the 2010 census. Brookfield is the second largest city in Waukesha County, and the leading commercial suburb of Milwaukee. The City of Brookfield was formed in 1954 from the Town of...
, Carollo attended high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
at Brookfield Central High School
Brookfield Central High School
Brookfield Central High School is a comprehensive public secondary school located in the city of Brookfield, Wisconsin. It is a sister school to Brookfield East High School, also located in Brookfield. The high school is administered by the Elmbrook School District, which operates nine schools in...
where he graduated in 1970. Following high school, he attended University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM) and graduated in 1974 with a degree in industrial relations. At UWM, he was the starting quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the school's football team from 1970 to 1973.
Family
Carollo currently resides in Shorewood, WisconsinShorewood, Wisconsin
Shorewood is a village in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 13,763 at the 2000 census. Howell Raines of The New York Times said in 1979 that "[t]his maplestudded town on Lake Michigan dotes on its reputation as Milwaukee's most liberal suburb."-Geography:Shorewood is...
and is married and has four children.
Other professions
Carollo worked as an international account executive for 30 years at IBMIBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
before becoming Vice President of Global Sales for Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
based Manpower Inc.
Manpower Inc.
ManpowerGroup is a workforce solutions and services provider company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established by Elmer Winter and Aaron Scheinfeld in 1948. It was acquired by Blue Arrow of Britain in 1987, but became independent again in 1991.The directors include...
Early years
Carollo began his officiating career working Wisconsin high school football, basketballBasketball
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...
, and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
games. He joined 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...
's Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
, where he stayed for ten years and included a selection to work the 1988 Rose Bowl Game
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
. In addition to officiating football games in the Big Ten, he was a basketball referee from 1982 to 1988. For a period of time, he also served as the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
Official Scorer for the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
.
National Football League
Carollo started in the NFL as a side judge and officiated Super Bowl XXXSuper Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game played on January 28, 1996 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona to decide the National Football League champion following the 1995 regular season...
in 1996 at that position, then became a referee (crew chief) for the start of the 1997 NFL season
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
after Red Cashion
Red Cashion
Mason L. "Red" Cashion is a former American football official. He started officiating in 1952 while attending Texas A&M University, and then worked for various high school and college football conferences, most notably the Southwest Conference. From 1972 to 1997, he officiated in the National...
and Howard Roe announced their retirements. Carollo was assigned to work his first post-season as referee during the 1998-99 NFL playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1998-99
The NFL playoffs following the 1998 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXIII.-Bracket:* Indicates overtime victory-AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Buffalo Bills 17:...
and later made his second appearance in the Super Bowl at Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII
Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game played on January 26, 2003 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 2002 regular season...
in 2003. Before he officiated Super Bowl XXXVIII, Mike Pereira
Mike Pereira
Mike Pereira is a former Vice President of Officiating for the National Football League . He first took over the position in 2001, succeeding Jerry Seeman. He was also a game official in the NFL for two seasons as a side judge on the officiating crew headed by referee Mike Carey...
, the NFL's director of officiating, said of Carollo, "Bill is just perfect in the management of a game. He understands how to handle coaches, players and a team of seven officials. He's terrific at that."
While serving as referee of the 1999
NFL playoffs, 1999-2000
The NFL playoffs following the 1999 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXIV.These playoffs were notable in that all outdoor games were played with gametime temperatures of 50°F or higher, making for one of the warmest playoff seasons of all time...
NFC Championship game between Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
and St. Louis
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, Carollo overturned a catch by Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
's Bert Emanuel
Bert Emanuel
Bert Tyrone Emanuel is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft...
, that later led to the adoption of the Bert Emanuel Rule. by the NFL. The play consisted of Bert Emanuel making what was ruled a catch at St. Louis' 22 yard line with 47 seconds left in the game and the Buccaneers down by 5. After review, Carollo ruled that the tip of the ball had touched the ground, and even though Emanuel maintained control of the football, Carollo had to rule it an incomplete pass. This led to the NFL clarifying the definitions of both a catch and an incomplete pass, as to avoid this scenario replaying itself in the future. This is known as the Bert Emanuel Rule.
He served as the director of the NFL Referees Association, the union representing NFL officials, from 2000 to March 1, 2006. He was the center of the negotiations that took place during the 2001 NFL season
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
where there was a work stoppage by game officials. The NFL and its game officials eventually agreed on September 19, 2001 to a new six-year Collective Bargaining Agreement that ended a two-week lockout of the regular officials, who returned to work on September 23, 2001.
His 2007 NFL officiating crew consisted of Bill Schuster, John Schleyer, Gary Arthur, Bill Lovett, James Coleman, and Phil Luckett
Phil Luckett
Phil Luckett was an official in the National Football League . His officiating uniform number was 59. He entered the NFL as a field judge in 1991, then became a referee in 1997 after Red Cashion and Howard Roe announced their retirements, and returned to the back judge position in 2001...
.
On November 18, 2007, Carollo became the first referee in 35 years to officiate a game for the same team in back-to-back weeks during the New England-Buffalo game. Bill Leavy
Bill Leavy
Bill Leavy is an American football official in the National Football League since 1995 and is a retired San Jose, California Police Officer and Firefighter, serving for 27 years. As of the 2006 NFL season, Leavy has been assigned to nine playoff games and two Super Bowls in his NFL officiating...
was scheduled to officiate the November 11th Buffalo-Miami game, but fell ill. Carollo served as the referee for that contest using Leavy's crew.
In August 2008, Carollo announced he would retire as an NFL referee at the end of the 2008 NFL season to become the Director of Officiating for the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
. His final assignment was for the AFC Championship game between the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
and 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...
on January 18, 2009. Don Carey
Don Carey (official)
Don Carey is an official in the National Football League, who wears uniform number 126. He entered the NFL's officiating staff in 1995 as a field judge until 1998, where he became a back judge due to the NFL swapping position titles that season; he held that position until 2008-09...
, brother of NFL referee Mike Carey, was promoted from back judge to take Carollo's place as a crew chief.
In Carollo's twenty year NFL career he officiated in two Super Bowls, a third SB as alternate referee, eight NFL Conference Championships and one Pro Bowl. Currently Bill is Director of Officiating for the Big Ten, Mid-American and Missouri Valley football conferences. This new officiating alliance, Midwest Football Officials Alliance was created in 2009 and headquartered in Park Ridge, IL.
External links
- http://www.wisgolfer.com/cms/content/view/15/7/
- http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/archives/display_detail.htm?StoryID=67519