Are Shawn And Ed Hochuli Related?

Many times in sports we have come across instances where more than one member is playing in the same sport or league as another one. More often than not, siblings are at the forefront of such instances and especially in the NFL, we have seen several sets of brothers making it to the top. We have also encountered fathers and sons who have left a mark on the league as professional athletes.

Talking about the famous families who have achieved noteworthy contributions to the game, one of the first names that pop up in everyone’s mind is the Mannings. This family was led by Archie Manning the father and two of three sons Peyton and Eli Manning who followed in his footsteps to all become great quarterbacks. The Harbaugh brothers Jim and John both faced each other in Super Bowl XLVII with John’s Ravens defeating Jim’s 49ers. More recently just this year we even got to see the first Super Bowl in which one brother faced the other in Jason Kelce and the Philadelphia Eagles taking on Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Of course, these are only a handful of names and there are several more that have been part of the NFL. But apart from the famous families, and siblings to have played the game, or coached in the game, there is one pair of NFL referees who are also related.

Shawn and Ed Hochuli relationship

Shawn Hochuli is the son of former NFL referee Ed Hochuli. Ed Hochuli started his career in the NFL in 1990 and went on to officiate for 28 long years before finally hanging up his boots in March 2018. His son Shawn, on the other hand, started his career in the NFL in 2014 and is currently in his tenth season.

Ed Hochuli

Ed Hochuli was one of the most respected referees in the league up until his retirement. The sr. Hochuli is an attorney by profession and his passion for officiating led him to the NFL. He started his career in the league as a back judge in 1990, then field judge and made his way up to referee within just three years.

In his 28 years as an NFL referee, Ed was the crew chief for Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXVIII. Needless to say he has been part of several other important games in his career such as the postseason and holiday games like the Thanksgiving Day game, etc.

As many referees have a specific way of describing the fouls, Ed Hochuli’s was quite unique in that way. Perhaps it was his law background that resulted in his explanations of the penalties, but Ed was well-known throughout the league for detailed explanations. For every penalty he addressed, he made sure that there was no confusion as to why such a penalty was called as he would always walk through the events precisely leading to the fouls or the rulings on the field.

Ed Hochuli has also been in the limelight due to his physique. Back in the late '60s and early '70s, Hochuli used to play as a linebacker in college and he worked out a lot. He built up a muscular frame which he maintained many years later. As a result, he was one of the most imposing referees in the league as far as overall body physique is concerned.

Shawn Hochuli

Shawn Hochuli developed an interest in officiating just like his father. He began his officiating career with the NCAA where he officiated in the PAC-12 conference. He also officiated in the Arena Football League before making his way into the NFL in 2014.

In the NFL, the Jr. Hohuli started out as a back judge and within four years was promoted to a referee although many feel that he got the position far earlier than other deserving candidates based on being the son of Ed Hochuli.

Wearing the number 83 jersey, Shawn Hochuli is all set to referee and lead his crew in his tenth season. A trait he shares with his father is the clarity and detailed explanation he provides regarding any penalties or rulings on the field.