Thursday, March 10, 2011

WMU professor emeritus/NFL official to speak in Keystone series

National Football League Official and WMU professor emeritus Ron Winter will talk about the business of officiating football at the March Keystone Community Bank Breakfast Speaker Series.

Winter will speak at 8 a.m., Friday, Mar. 25, in the Dean’s Conference Room of Schneider Hall, home of the Haworth College of Business.

His talk, titled “Inside the NFL’s Third Team on the Field,” is free and open to the public. A continental breakfast begins the event at 7:30 a.m. Reservations are required by calling (269) 387-6059. Free parking is available in the Fetzer Center parking lot.

Winter begin his career at WMU in 1969 as director of campus recreational activities where he worked until 1992. He was an associate professor of health and physical education from 1992 until retirement in 2008.

In addition to NFL officiating, he has worked the Big 10 Football Conference. His portfolio includes seven bowl games including the 1985 Rose Bowl, 1992 Orange Bowl National Championship and the 1995 Orange Bowl National Championship.

Winter earned his bachelor's and master’s degree from Michigan State. He has been a registered official with the Michigan High School Athletic Association for 42 years. In addition to football, Winter officiated Division I and III basketball including serving as a final four official in Division III.

The speaker series is underwritten by Keystone Community Bank. The series provides an opportunity for members of the local community to hear top business leaders, WMU faculty, alumni and friends of the Haworth College of Business.