• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Association of New England Football Officials (ANEFO)

Association of New England Football Officials (ANEFO)

Established 1919

  • Announcements
  • Calendar
  • Registration
  • General Info
    • New / Transfer Officials
    • Uniforms
  • Members
    • My Member Info
    • Members List
    • Association Awards
    • New Members
    • Honorary Members
    • Pre-Season Exam
  • Rules
    • NCAA vs NFHS
    • Ask the Interpreter
    • Resources
  • Officers/Contacts

Jim Mello – NFC Championship Game – Jan. 21, 2018

January 17, 2018 by Tommy Brow
#48 Jim Mello – NFL

Jim Mello, former ANEFO Official, will be one of the NFL football officials on the field during the NFC Championship Game between the Minnesota Vikings vs Philadelphia Eagles. The game will be televised on FOX-TV at 6:40 p.m. on Sunday, January 21, 2018.  Jim Mello also spoke at a meeting of the ANEFO two years ago!

Jim will be joining Ed Hochuli, referee, who is in his 27th season and 25th as referee. This is Hochuli’s 26th postseason assignment, the most of any active official, which includes 11 Wild Card Playoffs, 5 Divisional Playoffs, 9 Conference Championships, and Super Bowls XXII and XXXVIII.
Hochuli, 67, worked his last playoff assignment in the Wild Card Playoff game between the Falcons and Rams on January 6, 2018. Along with other officials this year, he is working more than one game, and he is the first referee since Walt Anderson and Bill Carollo in2004 to have multiple non-Super Bowl assignments in a postseason.

He ties Terry McAulay with 11 assignments to the title games, combing conference championships and Super Bowls, as the most among active officials. Hochuli lives in San Diego, California and Jim Mello lives in North Andover, Massachusetts. Congratulations to Jim Mello, Ed Hochuli, and all the other officials listed below!

Pos.    No.     Name              Yrs   Crew            College                                Occupation
R          85     Ed Hochuli     28    Hochuli       Texas-El Paso                       attorney
DJ        48     Jim Mello        14     Allen            Northeastern                      facilities manager
U         14     Shawn Smith    3     Hochuli       Ferris State                         internal auditor
LJ        59     Rusty Baynes    8     Hochuli        Auburn-Montgomery         general manager, safety*
FJ      103     Eugene Hall      4     Boger           North Texas                        federal agent
SJ       88      Brad Freeman   4     Cheffers       Mississippi State                sports park director
BJ       30     Todd Prukop      9    Corrente       Cal State-Fullerton             medical sales representative

*indicates full-time official
• Replay: Tom Sifferman
• Alternates: Carl Cheffers (R), Carl Johnson (LJ), James Coleman (SJ)

  • My Member Info
  • Members List
  • New Members
  • Honorary Members
  • Pre-Season Exam

Copyright © 2023 · Association of New England Football Officials (ANEFO) · All Rights Reserved