📡 Longtime SEC referee, Tom Ritter, retiring from role

[BAMANEWSBOT]

Longtime referee Tom Ritter is retiring from on-field duty, SEC coordinator of officials Steve Shaw announced on Thursday. Ritter has been with the SEC since 2000, working the 2003 and 2012 championship games.

But Ritter isn’t retiring completely. He will now be working in the replay booth at games, Shaw said.

James Carter, who has been a referee in the SWAC and a line judge in the SEC, will replace Ritter as a referee.

This is the third referee change in the past two years for the SEC. Last year, longtime referees Matt Moore and Penn Wagers moved on. Moore retired and Wagers left to pursue an opportunity in another league.

Longtime SEC referee retiring from role

 

[UAgrad93]

Find this pretty amusing. I imagine our rival message boards will blow up with this news since they all consider Ritter to be a Bama homer, even though his connection was to the Viles I believe.

 

[bama alum]

Find this pretty amusing. I imagine our rival message boards will blow up with this news since they all consider Ritter to be a Bama homer, even though his connection was to the Viles I believe.

Never saw Bug Eyes as a Bama homer. I guess if/when some of those rivals start winning again, they'll expect to hear us lowly bammers call the refs homers, too.

 

[TerryP]

Find this pretty amusing. I imagine our rival message boards will blow up with this news since they all consider Ritter to be a Bama homer, even though his connection was to the Viles I believe.

Lives in Franklin, works his "real job" in Nashville. Went to HS in Franklin. No connection to Bama.

________

Started his high school career in Texas in 1977

Moved to Nashville in 1982 and joined the Middle Tennessee Football Officials Association

Over the next 16 seasons worked numerous playoff games and two high school state championship games (Clinic Bowls)

Began his college football career in 1991 when he joined the Ohio Valley Conference.

Worked several NCAA national playoff games during his 10 years in the OVC

Moved to the SEC in 2000 where he still works today (13 years)

Has been awarded post-season assignments in each of the last 9 years, including four SEC Championship games (2003, 2007, 2008, 2012) as well as the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl and 2012 Fiesta Bowl.

As well as working in the SEC, he is a TSSAA supervisor and the assigning officer for the high school games in the middle Tennessee area.

 

[Elderfalsedemigod]

Just glad to see he will still be able to screw up games and butcher calls from the review booth.

He is the one ref that my kids and my son-in-law all know by name from me screaming at him so much on Saturdays