Pete Morelli
| Pete Morelli | |
|---|---|
Morelli in 2014
|
|
| Born |
Peter Danie Morelli November 18, 1951 San Joaquin County, California |
| Nationality |
 United States
|
| Occupation |
NFL official (1997–present) President () |
| Website | http://www.saintmaryshighschool.org |
Peter Danie "Pete" Morelli (born November 18, 1951) is the president of in , California and better known as an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) since the 1997 NFL season. He wears uniform number 135.
As an official in the NFL, Morelli is known for working Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 as a field judge.
Pete Morelli is married to Cindy and has two sons, Matt and Dan. Morelli currently lives in Stockton, California.
In 1971, aged 19, Morelli began officiating with his father and two uncles, Joe and Tony Morelli. He started with the California Interscholastic Federation, working high school football games. For his performance, he was assigned playoff and championship games. He later progressed to the college level, officiating in the Big West Conference and Western Athletic Conference. He was selected to work eleven playoff games, including the 1996 Liberty Bowl.
Morelli was hired by the NFL in 1997 as a back judge, then switched to field judge after the league swapped position titles in 1998, and was promoted to referee with the start of the 2003 NFL season following the retirements of Dick Hantak and Bob McElwee.
Morelli's 2016 NFL officiating crew consists of umpire Bryan Neale, head linesman Steve Stelljes, line judge Carl Johnson, field judge Doug Rosenbaum, side judge Boris Cheek, and back judge Greg Steed.
Morelli officiated the AFC divisional playoff game in January 2006 between the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers. In the fourth quarter, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu intercepted a Peyton Manning pass and in the process he fumbled the ball, then recovered. Colts head coach Tony Dungy challenged the call, and upon review on instant replay, Morelli overturned the ruling. Following the game, Morelli said, "He was losing it while his other leg was still on the ground. Therefore, he did not complete the catch. And then he lost the ball." A day after the game, the NFL released a statement confirming that Polamalu made the interception, refuting the overturn call of Morelli.Mike Pereira, then-the league's vice president of officiating, said, "[Polamalu] maintained possession long enough to establish a catch. Therefore, the replay review should have upheld the call on the field that it was a catch and fumble."
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