Walt Anderson
- Referee: 66 – Walt Anderson
- Umpire: 40 – Butch Hannah
- Head Linesman: 110 – Phil McKinnely
- Line Judge: 18 – Byron Boston
- Field Judge: 43 – Terry Brown
- Side Judge: 15 – Rick Patterson
- Back Judge: 2 – Billy Smith
Dr. Walt Anderson is an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) since 1996. Anderson spent his first seven seasons in the NFL as a line judge before being promoted to referee for the start of the 2003 NFL season. He wears the uniform number 66.
Anderson is a 1974 graduate of Sam Houston State University in Texas and played football for the school and was a two-time Academic All-American. Wanting to stay active in football following college, Anderson decided to pursue a career in officiating.
He began officiating junior high and little leagues, high school, then eventually college. In 11 years of college experience, he worked games in the Lone Star (Division II), Southland (Division I-AA), and Southwest Athletic Conferences (Division I). At the college level, Anderson was scouted by ex-NFL officials who would looking to fill openings at the professional football level.
Anderson joined the NFL in 1996 and since then he has worked playoff games in every year of eligibility, including four Wild Card, two Divisional and three Championship games, with the pinnacle being Super Bowl XXXV in 2000. Anderson cites that Super Bowl as being his most memorable game.
On April 26, 2006, Anderson was named Coordinator of Football Officials for the Big 12 Conference.
Anderson is also a retired dentist (Doctorate of Dentistry, University of Texas Dental Branch, 1978) is married to Afshan and have five children. They currently reside in Sugarland, Texas.
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Not the first time that The Steelers have benefitted from questionable officiating. They’ve benefitted from so many bad calls, phantom calls and no calls since the 70’s that many think the NFL gives them a little too much help winning games.
He maybe should have stayed a dentist! Launching? What is Edward to do, get cut off at the ankles again? Watch the slow motion replay and you see Edward’s head and helmet was no where near Stadfords head. Refs this year suck.
Walt is the best
I only saw the first half of the game, but I think someone needs to remind Walt that every time the ball is snapped the flag gets thrown…it ended up at like 300 penalty yards? The worst teams in the league cant even muster that in total ypg…
I watched the Redskins/Raiders game AND the Eagle/Giants game. Why is it that Devin Thomas can get an unsportsmanlike conduct flag for doing less “dancing” and “taunting” than what DeSean Jackson did after getting a touchdown in that Sunday night game? When is someome going to realize that it’s a stupid rule anyway. Unless someone spits on the Dallas Cowboys’ star, its just no big deal to have a small celebration in the end zone!!!
Correction to my post above… it was Fred Davis of the Redskins who got the celebration penalty in the game… not Devin Thomas. Sorry about that!
This guy and his crew are absolutely the WORST. The Ravens Packers game was the worst officiating I have seen in many years. They should all take lessons from John Parry and his crew. Steelers Packers game was one of the best.
@Rick Lovallo
this crew, especially Phil McKinnely(the head linesmen), have it out for the Ravens. That is why the Ravens/Packers game was so horrible.
Are you serious about assigning a referee Walt Anderson, a home grown Texan to be the Referee in the Minnesota vs Dallas game?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can not possibly believe there would be no bias in this playoff game. With the possibility of even one questionable or phantom call against the Vikings, it would create a horrendous outcry from anyone that is not a Dallas fan. Why would you even consider having someone with ties to the Texas team? This will blow up the playoff picture from the stand point of fairness to both teams. The media will have a field day criticizing your organization and if the Vikings would lose because of a bad call the usual apology wouldn’t change anything. I know you are going to say they are all professional and would never be biased. Then prove it and assign one from Minnesota! All you have to do is look at Andersons record and he always makes questionable and phantom calls such as holding. CHANGE Anderson to a different game. In todays world of big money, is this Jerry Jones way of winning? Jones should be the first guy in line to say he doesn’t want to have a Texan Referee. Get REAL!!!
If Jones has to buy the referee’s so his american team can win. He has no faith in his team then. No way can Anderson be bias. NFL can say they will as much as they choose. But the fact is still there. Just watch the officiating from last week’s Dallas game. Horrible. Philly had no chance with that crew. Neither will the Vikings. No crew should be allowed to officiated the same team back to back. If the NFL had a backbone, they wouldn’t allow it. But money talks. And when the phantom calls will come, and the apology will be worthless. Make it fair NFL, change the officials.
bet on dallas they have more people on the field this will be worst than last week call as the cards covered the spread vegas owns the nfl nfl suxs how can u miss a face mask or hands to the face either or it still should have not ended the game and then for the nfl to say it didnt twist the mask lol what a joke fu rodger codell u moron