Super Bowl 58 is all set to kick off, and before the match, the NFL announced the referee lineup. Referees are a massive part of the game, and whichever team is more disciplined will have a lot to gain from the big game. The referee crew is led by Bill Vinovich. Vinovich has a lot of experience as he’s refereed the Super Bowl twice before. Most fans will be happy to see someone with his experience on the gridiron as they hope for a game free from controversial calls and too much interference.
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The Super Bowl LVIII officiating crew: pic.twitter.com/gQUr8oIuNU
— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) January 23, 2024
However, like most referees, Bill Vinovich also has a day job. The referee has been in the league for an extremely long time, dating all the way back to 2001, but he hasn’t made it his full-time job. Vinovich works a day job as a certified public accountant. He graduated from the University of San Diego in 1983 with a degree in accounting. Mixing his passion for officiating with his degree, Vinovich decided to pursue both fields as he advanced in his career.
Bill Vinovich’s Life as a Public Accountant
Vinovoch was always ready to pursue his passions side by side. After his degree from the University of San Diego, Vinovich found himself working at the international accounting firm KPMG.
While he was working there, Vinovich also started officiating high school football and basketball to follow up on his officiating dreams. He found several jobs in the 90s working with high school and college refereeing before he was eventually offered a job in the Canadian Football League in 1994.
Vinovich once again transitioned to the NCAA before making his NFL debut in 2001. He worked first as a side judge before moving up to a referee. He has worked several playoff games in his career to go along with his two Super Bowl appearances. However, there is one call that haunts Bill Vinovich to this day.
Vinovich was the referee for the Saints-Rams NFC Championship game back in 2018. If you don’t remember, Vinovich and his crew missed a very clear pass interference or targeting call late in the game against the Rams. Instead, the pass was incomplete and the Saints lost possession, and eventually lost the game, ending their season.
Hopefully, Vinovich won’t have to focus on an equally controversial call again, and the game will proceed as smoothly as it should.
