Side judge Alan Eck (76) during an NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Emilee Chinn)
Williamsport native and former Millionaire Alan Eck has been all over the place in the world of football officiating and has seen plenty of great games as a referee. And while there have been a bunch, this year’s AFC Divisional playoff game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs stands out for him. Especially given that it was the first playoff game he’s been able to officiate.
Not a bad way to start your NFL postseason officiating career.
“I was an alternate in playoff games in prior seasons, but Buffalo at KC was my first on-the-field playoff game. It was a tremendously exciting game and was the most memorable game I ever officiated,” Eck said. “Both QBs were willing their teams to victory and seemed like whoever had the ball last would certainly win the game.”
Which is exactly how it played out as Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs drove down field in overtime after winning the coin toss to win and advance to the AFC Championship Game.
Prior to the game between the Bills and Chiefs, Eck noted his favorite game he previously officiated was actually one that featured Central Mountain graduate Robbie Gould when the San Francisco 49ers beat the New Orleans Saints, 48-46, in a game that featured nine touchdown passes and six lead changes on Dec. 8, 2019.
“He kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired in my previous favorite NFL game that I officiated,” Eck said of the former Wildcat.
Eck is an umpire who primarily focuses on the offensive and defensive linemen. And luckily for Eck, he didn’t have to throw any flags in that exciting game between Buffalo and Kansas City.
“The linemen on both teams played with such precision and focus that I did not have to call a foul the entire game, which is my hope for every game,” Eck said. “Contrary to what most people think, officials do not like to throw flags.”
The divisional playoff game was the final of the season for Eck, but the 1987 Williamsport graduate and former Millionaire quarterback was ecstatic that he got the call to finally officiate a postseason game.
So what went through Eck’s mind when he got the phone call he’d been waiting for from the NFL to referee a playoff game?
“It’s about time!” Eck said. “The nice thing about the playoff crew in the Buffalo at KC game was that three of the other on-field officials were my regular-season crew. So that always makes it easier to establish crew chemistry during the playoff game, when you are familiar with the other guys.”
Eck played college football at Bloomsburg where all these years later, he still holds the school record for most pass completions in a season with 194. He was part of Bloomsburg’s Class of 1991.
Including the AFC Divisional playoff game, Eck has officiated in 88 games over six seasons. After he graduated from Bloomsburg, Eck knew that he wanted to get into coaching. But working at a certified public accountant firm, he didn’t exactly have the flexibility to leave work at 3 p.m. and coach a high school practice. That’s when someone he worked with at the firm told Eck he should officiate high school and youth sports.
“I said ‘that sounds perfect, sign me up.’ That was 26 years ago,” Eck said. “My only regret is that I did not start officiating sooner.”
Eck didn’t get to the NFL overnight. He spent 20 years officiating in high school and college football in the fall, and 11 years officiating indoor football in the spring before he finally was hired by the NFL. But in Eck’s own words, “it was certainly worth the climb.”
While he was vacationing in Gaitlinburg, Tennessee, Eck got the call at 12:25 p.m. from Dean Blandinno, the NFL senior vice president of officiating at the time, offering him a position with the NFL.
“I was on cloud nine for the rest of the day. It was a good thing I was on vacation because I would not have been able to focus on work after receiving that phone call,” Eck said.
Eck remembers calling his father and hearing him weep on the phone after he told him the news. He then called Bobby Lynn and Marty Mauer, two Williamsport officials who took Eck under their wing when he first started to officiate.
“I spent the rest of the day calling my former college officiating coordinators and crewmates thanking them for helping me on my journey,” Eck said. “It was a special day that I’ll never forget.”
Before reaching the NFL, Eck was able to officiate in both the Big 12 and Mountain West Conference leagues. While in those leagues, his coordinator of officials, evaluators and clinicians were all most NFL officials.
“So getting their constant feedback and perspective helped me not only at the college level, but also when I got to the NFL.”
While Eck has a job to do every single Sunday, he does at times get to take in everything and said that at times, it is a little surreal. Prior to games starting, Eck allows himself time to take in the crowd and pageantry and absorb the moment.
“During the game we have so much to focus on that we can’t get caught up in the moment. … After the coin toss, I need to bring things back into perspective, so I remind myself that there are over 6 billion people in the world who don’t know or care about this game that I am about to officiate,” Eck said. “Of course, after the game we’re all so hyped up that it’s hard to wind down, especially if we’ve had a late-night game.”
Eck’s officiating journey has taken him to a lot of places. He’s officiated in 40 states, including four games in Hawaii. He’s been to Canada after spending a season officiating in the Canadian Football League, and this past year, he was able to go to London to officiate an NFL game.
Eck admitted that when he first got into the NFL, he was a bit naive. After officiating in the Big 12 where he had two no-huddle, hurry-up offenses which averaged around 210 plays per game, he realized the NFL averaged about 160.
“I figured the NFL would be a walk in the park since I had to officiate about 50 fewer plays per game. However, in the college game the fouls are usually really obvious. In the NFL, the players are professionals and are very precise in their technique, and they know how far they can go before committing a foul,” Eck said. “Therefore, when NFL players commit a foul, they are much more subtle about it and not as obvious as college players. As a result, there is a lot more subjectivity as to what a foul is in the NFL.”