BCS National Championship game referee to take charge of USA vs. World game

BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME REFEREE BILL LeMONNIER TO TAKE CHARGE OF TEAM USA VS. THE WORLD IN TEXAS

Officials from Mexico and Norway line up alongside American officials

THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2011 – BCS National Championship Game and college football referee BILL LeMONNIER has been named referee for the Team USA vs. World game to be played on Wednesday, Feb. 2, at Austin Westlake Stadium in Austin, Texas.

LeMonnier took charge of the BCS National Championship Game on January 10 in Glendale, Ariz., as Auburn defeated Oregon 22-19. He has worked 14 college football bowl games, including seven BCS games. LeMonnier and his crew was selected based on an in-season rating system.

The ‘Team USA vs. The World’ game is an annual international contest matching the U.S Under-19 National Team, assembled by USA Football and composed of graduating high school seniors, against a World Team of players chosen from among the 59 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) member federations.

LeMonnier refereed the inaugural Team USA vs. The World game last year in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as Team USA earned a 17-0 victory.

“Being part of the Team USA vs. the World game is a special honor,” said LeMonnier. “It is really special to be involved and help with the international growth of American football.”

In addition to working the 2010 game, LeMonnier has extensive international experience. He has previously officiated at the IFAF Senior World Championship in Kawasaki, Japan, the Australian Senior Nationals and IFAF qualifying games in Mexico City and Panama City. He has also held officiating clinics in Europe.

LeMonnier will be joined by eight other officials; six from Texas, one from Mexico and one from Norway.

“Having two international officials is an added plus for this game,” added LeMonnier. “Not only will the talents of the players from around the world be highlighted but our two international officials are two of the best and are also in the spotlight. As the game continues to grow each year I hope we can eventually see officials from seven or eight different countries.”

Officials for USA vs. The World:

Referee: Bill LeMonnier – Illinois

Umpire: Tim Murphy – Texas

Head Linesman: Steve LaMantia – Texas

Line Judge: Einar Bolstad – Norway

Side Judge: Bill Corcoran – Texas

Field Judge: Gary Booth – Texas

Back Judge: Mario Matos – Mexico

Alternate: Don Meyer – Texas

Alternate: Tibby Carroll – Texas

Norwegian official, EINAR BOLSTAD gained valuable experience while officiating in NFL Europe and also officiated at the 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship in Canton, Ohio. Bolstad is a noted clinician and considered one of the top-rated European officials.

MARIO MATOS, a native of Mexico, is a young official who has shown judgment, composure and maturity well beyond his age and experience and LeMonnier believes he will develop into a leadership role in the development of officiating in Mexico.

Steve LaMantia is a NCAA official who works Conference USA. Tim Murphy, Bill Corcoran, Gary Booth, Don Meyer and Tibby Carroll are TASO officials who work both high school and college schedules.

The 2011 World Team roster is comprised of players representing American Samoa (3), Austria (5), Canada (22), Finland (2), Germany (3), Japan (2), Mexico (2) and Sweden (3), who were selected from a provisional list of players nominated by IFAF federations.

With players and coaches coming from many different parts of the world, the game officials may be faced with challenges unlike other games they have officiated in the United States.

“Coaches from both teams may not be as familiar with NCAA rules,” explained LeMonnier. “We will be holding a special meeting two days before the game with the coaches to review 20 plus rule differences that they should be aware of. Many of the coaches are high school or Canadian rules oriented.

“But with that said, last year’s game in Florida was very competitive and we expect this year’s game to be even closer.”

The second annual Team USA vs. The World game will kickoff at 7:30 pm CT at Austin Westlake High School Stadium. Tickets cost $8 and are available at [url]www.usafootball.com/app/webroot/teamusa.

About IFAF

The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) unites 59 countries on five continents through a burgeoning international sport. With national football federations in existence for more than 75 years, IFAF was created in 1998 to organize and further develop the game through international cooperation and global competition. The IFAF office is located near Paris, France.