Gene Steratore
{{short description|American football and college basketball official (born 1963)}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Gene Steratore
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name = Eugene Joseph Steratore
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1963|2|8}}
| birth_place = Uniontown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| education = Kent State University
| occupation = Rules analyst for CBS Sports and CBS/TNT NCAA March Madness
NFL official (2003–2018)
NCAA basketball official (1995–2018)
| website =
}}
Eugene Joseph Steratore ({{IPAc-en|'|s|t|ɛr|ə|ˌ|t|ɔːr}}; born February 8, 1963){{cite web |url=http://miamiherald.typepad.com/dolphins_in_depth/2010/10/referee-gene-steratore-spoke-to-the-pool-reporter-about-todays-controversial-call-that-was-the-difference-in-score-between-th.html |title=Referee from Pittsburgh explains fumble ruling |last1=Salguero |first1=Armando |date=October 10, 2010 |via=MiamiHerald.Typepad.com |newspaper=Miami Herald |access-date=January 15, 2015}} is a former American football official in the National Football League (NFL) from 2003 until his retirement from the NFL in June 2018.{{cite news |url=http://boston.cbslocal.com/2018/06/22/referee-gene-steratore-retiring-from-the-nfl/ |title=Referee Gene Steratore Retiring From The NFL |website=WBZ-TV |date=June 22, 2018 |access-date=June 22, 2018}} He also worked as a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball referee from 1997 to 2018. Since the fall of 2018, Steratore has served as a rules analyst for CBS Sports, including the NFL, college football, college basketball, and March Madness.
Steratore entered the league as a field judge and was promoted to referee at the start of the 2006 season, one of two new referees (Jerome Boger being the other) for that season, following the retirements of Bernie Kukar and Tom White. He wore uniform number 114. Steratore was chosen to be the alternate referee of Super Bowl XLIV, which was held in Miami on February 7, 2010, and was chosen to be the referee for Super Bowl LII, played on February 4, 2018, which would be his last game officiating.
Steratore was one of two active NFL referees (Bill Vinovich being the other) who also officiated NCAA Division I men's basketball games.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/14/sports/for-two-way-referee-its-nfl-one-day-college-basketball-the-next.html |title=For Two-Way Referee, It's N.F.L. One Day, College Basketball the Next |last1=Borden |first1=Sam |date=March 13, 2012 |via=NYTimes.com |newspaper=The New York Times}}
Career
=National Football League=
Steratore took over briefly as referee during a regular-season game on December 28, 2003, between the Carolina Panthers 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.{{cite news|title=Kukar hurt in Panthers-Giants game|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/6960049|publisher=National Football League|date=December 28, 2003|access-date=August 1, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209022813/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/6960049|archive-date=February 9, 2006|url-status=dead}}
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 (AFC) Wild Card game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.[http://www.nfl.com/liveupdate/gamecenter/54805/NE_Gamebook.pdf Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots, AFC Wild Card Playoff Game, Sunday, January 10, 2010 – National Football League.]
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. After Steratore conferred with the officials he 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".{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/16142/like-it-or-not-megatron-call-was-right |title=Like it or not, Calvin Johnson call correct |last1=Seifert |first1=Kevin |date=September 12, 2010 |website=ESPN.com |publisher=ESPN}} Steratore was supported by the NFL and backed by its former vice president of officiating, Mike Pereira. The rule has since been referred to as the "Calvin Johnson rule".{{cite news | title=NFL will not make changes to the 'Calvin Johnson rule' | url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2011/03/nfl-will-not-make-changes-to-the-calvin-johnson-rule/1#.UW4M0cpNX4w | newspaper=USA Today | date=March 14, 2011|access-date=January 19, 2014|last1=Leahy|first1=Sean}}
Steratore was selected as the first referee to officiate a game following the 2012 NFL referee lockout on September 27, 2012,{{cite news| url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/09/27/gene-steratore-official-referee-baltimore-ravens-cleveland-browns/70001259/1#.UGR4z1HZ3ni | title=Gene Steratore's officiating crew to work Browns-Ravens game | newspaper=USA Today | date=September 27, 2012}} a Thursday-night contest between the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens. The Baltimore crowd cheered Steratore and his crew as they entered the field.
Steratore was named as referee for the NFC Championship game on January 19, 2014, between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.{{cite web|url=http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/15/gene-steratore-tony-corrente-to-referee-league-championship-games/|title=Gene Steratore, Tony Corrente to referee league championship games|date=January 15, 2014|access-date=January 19, 2014|last1=Crabtree|first1=Curtis|publisher=NBC Sports}}
Steratore was the referee during the NFC divisional playoff game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers on January 11, 2015, when a fourth-quarter, fourth-down catch by Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was overturned using the "Calvin Johnson rule".{{Cite news |last=Seifert |first=Kevin |date=January 11, 2015 |title=Dez Bryant catch reversed by 'process rule' |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/158281/rapid-reaction-dez-bryant-catch-reversed-by-process-rule |access-date=January 12, 2015 |work=ESPN.com}} The Packers challenged the call and after review, it was determined that the ball touched the ground before Bryant completed the catch.{{cite news|last=Maese|first=Rick|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/aided-by-overturned-dez-bryant-catch-packers-beat-cowboys-26-21-in-nfc-playoffs/2015/01/11/859d3d5a-99cf-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html|title=Aided by overturned Dez Bryant catch, Packers beat Cowboys 26-21 in NFC playoffs|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=January 11, 2015|access-date=January 12, 2015}}
In a game on December 17, 2017, between the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders, Steratore took the controversial step of employing an index card normally used for recording penalties to assist him in determining whether the Cowboys had made the line to gain for a first down. His ruling that they had done so allowed Dallas to kick a late field goal in their 20–17 victory.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/gene-steratore-referee-card-measurement-dak-prescott-fourth-down-cowboys-raiders/1rwmv967e2kom1dxl457dvvm46?src=rss |title=Gene Steratore gives odd explanation after card trick in Cowboys-Raiders |last=Gatto |first=Tom |date=January 18, 2015 |publisher=Sportingnews.com |access-date=January 23, 2015}}
Steratore was the referee for Super Bowl LII.{{cite press release|title=Super Bowl LII Officials Named|url=https://nflcommunications.com/Pages/Super-Bowl-LII-Officials-Names.aspx|publisher=National Football League|date=January 17, 2018|access-date=January 18, 2018}}
=Retirement from NFL=
Steratore's retirement as an NFL referee was announced by the circuit's Senior Vice President of Officiating Alberto Riveron on June 22, 2018. He was the fourth referee to retire during the 2018 offseason along with Ed Hochuli, Jeff Triplette and Terry McAulay.[https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-keeps-losing-refs-as-gene-steratore-becomes-fourth-official-to-retire-in-2018/ Breech, John. "NFL keeps losing refs as Gene Steratore becomes fourth official to retire in 2018," CBSSports.com, Friday, June 22, 2018.] Retrieved January 13, 2024.
=CBS Sports and Turner Sports=
Following retirement, he joined CBS Sports as a rules analyst. CBS had not had a rules analyst on its staff since firing Mike Carey following the 2015 season.{{Cite web |url=https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/06/22/report-gene-steratore-to-join-cbs-as-rules-analyst/ |title=Report: Gene Steratore to join CBS as rules analyst |last=Alper |first=Josh |date=June 22, 2018 |website=ProFootballTalk |language=en |access-date=April 1, 2019}} In addition to providing analysis for NFL officiating, Steratore also contributes in a similar role for the network's college football coverage, college basketball coverage and NCAA March Madness on CBS/TBS/TNT/truTV. Steratore is unusual in that most other networks have not used a rules analyst for basketball or college football.{{Cite web |url=https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/06/26/cbs-announces-gene-steratore-as-nfl-college-basketball-rules-analyst/ |title=CBS announces Gene Steratore as NFL, college basketball rules analyst |last=Alper |first=Josh |date=June 26, 2018 |publisher=profootballtalk.nbcsports.com.com |access-date=March 21, 2019}}
Personal life
Steratore lives in his native Washington, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh.{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/steelers/2012/02/02/2-Super-Bowl-officials-have-ties-to-area/stories/201202020495|title=2 Super Bowl officials have ties to area|
date=February 2, 2012|access-date=January 19, 2014|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|location=Indianapolis|publisher=PG Publishing Co., Inc.}}
Gene has an older brother, Tony, who was also an NFL official until the 2021 offseason, when he retired. His father, Gene Steratore Sr., was a college football official and basketball referee.{{cite news | first1=Gene|last1=Collier|last2=Bouchette |first2=Ed|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05034/452095.stm | title=Super Bowl Notebook: Big Ben's Super star turn is in a commercial | newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette| date= February 3, 2005| access-date=August 1, 2006}}
Steratore and his brother are the co-owners of Steratore Sanitary Supply in Washington, Pennsylvania, outside of their NFL officiating duties.{{cite news|first=F. Dale |last=Lolley |url=http://observer-reporter.com/main.asp?SectionID=7&SubSectionID=21&ArticleID=9785 |title=Porter set tone early, put pressure on Plummer |newspaper=Observer-Reporter |date=January 23, 2006 |access-date=August 1, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060808212737/http://observer-reporter.com/Main.asp?SectionID=7 |archive-date=August 8, 2006 }}{{cite news |title=It's Not a Brother Thing |url=http://www.referee.com/more/Samples/non_subscribers1207/brothers.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071120065407/http://www.referee.com/more/Samples/non_subscribers1207/brothers.html |archive-date=November 20, 2007 |newspaper=referee.com |date=November 20, 2007 }}
References
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Category:21st-century American businesspeople
Category:College basketball announcers in the United States
Category:College football announcers
Category:College men's basketball referees in the United States