Ed Hochuli

Edward G. Hochuli (born December 25, 1950) is an American retired attorney and former American football official.

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

He was the second child of six.

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

During his high school years, he participated in football (earning all-state honors twice), basketball, wrestling, and track.

He attributes his competitive nature to having an older brother, Chip Hochuli.

While studying at UTEP, Hochuli played linebacker on the school's football team from 1969 to 1972.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1972.

As a football player he earned All-Western Athletic Conference academic honors in 1972.

His father, Walter Hochuli, was involved with law as a wills and estate planner, which influenced Ed Hochuli to pursue a career in law.

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

While in law school, Hochuli served as a law clerk for two years under United States District Judge Carl Muecke.

After completing his education Hochuli was admitted to the State Bar of Arizona.

Hochuli resides in the Phoenix metropolitan area with his wife Cathie.

They have six children and 10 grandchildren.

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

He served as an attorney at Jones, Skelton & Hochuli, P.L.C. from 1983 to 2021, and was an official in the National Football League (NFL) from 1990 to 2017; his uniform number was 85.

Before becoming a football official, he played college football for four seasons at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).

Hochuli worked numerous playoff games including two Super Bowls.

He is best known for his athletic/muscular physique (height: 6 ft; weight: 230 lb ), and for explaining on-field rulings in a manner that is comprehensive yet also clear and concise.

Hochuli was a trial lawyer and a partner in the Arizona law firm of Jones, Skelton and Hochuli, P.L.C., having been a part of the firm since it was founded in 1983 to his retirement.

The firm began with five partners and seven associates and has expanded to over 80 attorneys.

He specializes in civil litigation in the areas of bad faith and extra-contractual liability, complex litigation, insurance coverage and fraud, legal malpractice and professional liability, product liability defense, trucking and transportation industry defense, and wrongful death and personal injury defense.

He claims to be involved in 200 cases at any time.

Hochuli finds interest in trying cases, calling it an "adrenaline rush" adding, "You love that challenge–the competition, if you will–of it. It's a game. It's obviously a very important game to people, and I don't mean to diminish the importance of it... You have to follow these rules, and there's a win-or-lose outcome. You're on a stage."

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

His recognition as an attorney includes being named Best Lawyers in America since 2003 and Southwest Super Lawyers in 2007.

Super Lawyers includes only the top five percent of lawyers in a state based on point totals, as chosen by peers and through independent research by Law & Politics.

Ed Hochuli told Referee in a 2004 interview, "I was somebody who wanted to be good and I wanted my brother to be proud of me, and I wanted my parents to be proud of me."

After the retirements of Gerald Austin and Larry Nemmers following the 2007 season, Hochuli became the NFL's longest-tenured referee for the next decade.

In a poll conducted by ESPN in 2008, Hochuli tied fellow referee Mike Carey for "best referee" votes (eight each) among NFL head coaches.

On August 13, 2011, a day after his father refereed a preseason game between the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars, Shawn was the head referee for ArenaBowl XXIV between the Jacksonville Sharks and Arizona Rattlers.

Scott Hochuli, another of Ed Hochuli's sons, owns Hochuli Design & Remodeling Team which is a company in the Phoenix area that specializes in residential design and construction.

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

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

Shawn joined his father's profession as an official, working as a side judge in his first NFL season in 2014.

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

In his 28th season in the league and 26th as a referee (crew chief) with the 2017 NFL season, Hochuli's officiating crew consisted of umpire Shawn Smith, down judge Greg Bradley, line judge Rusty Baynes, field judge Dale Shaw, side judge Alex Kemp, and back judge Scott Helverson.

He announced his own retirement in March 2018.

In 2019, his son Shawn Hochuli—previously a referee in the Arena Football League and a back judge in the NFL—was promoted to referee.