NEW YORK - The NFL referee best known for his tight shirts, buff arms and long winded penalty explanations is hanging up his stripes.
The league announced Tuesday that Ed Hochuli is retiring after a 28-year career with the NFL. While some officials did their jobs quietly and attempted to stay out of the spotlight, Hochuli seemed to bask in it. He would use 100 words to explain a call that would take another ref just ten, and wore uniforms that helped his bulging biceps appear even larger.
The advent of social media helped make him a star, so it's only appropriate that Twitter exploded that Hochuli is calling it quits.
USA Today printed a story a few years back that included some interesting facts about Hochuli. Among them:
- He is an attorney, and between work at his firm and on the field Hochuli put in 100 hours a week on the job.
- Despite the fact that his arms and upper body are big, Hochuli has no idea how much he can bench press.
- He maintains an extremely strict diet to keep his physique, but Hochuli admits to having a tremendous weakness for Cheetos.
