Ed Hochuli Retiring as NFL Referee, Son Shawn Named to Same Position

NFL officiating veterans Ed Hochuli and Jeff Triplette are retiring, according to the league's senior vice president of officiating, Al Riveron, with Shawn Hochuli and Alex Kemp getting promoted to referee.

Shawn Hochuli is the son of Ed Hochuli. 

Ed Hochuli, 67, has been an NFL official since 1990 and a crew chief for the past 26 seasons, working two Super Bowls in that time. He is perhaps most famous for being the league's most muscular referee and for his often detailed and lengthy explanations of penalty decisions. 

According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com, "Hochuli's pending retirement has been rumored in league circles for months, but he refused on multiple occasions to confirm it publicly. He spent part of last week in his new role as an independent consultant, meeting with the NFL's competition committee and other football operations officials."

Triplette has served as an official since 1996. His pending retirement was reported in January after he officiated the playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans, with some questioning whether the NFL knew he was retiring and gave him a sendoff with a playoff game. Triplette previously hadn't officiated a postseason game since 2013.

Shawn Hochuli, meanwhile, has served as a back judge since the 2014 season, while Alex Kemp has been in the league since 2014, serving as a field judge for one season and a side judge for three.