Brianne Spaeth
Pastor Steven Wilson came to speak to us at our rotary meeting. He grew up in Spokane, Washington to an active and athletic family and spent his younger years playing many sports, including football for Gonzaga. Nearing graduation from college, he realized that his football days were coming to a close and he pondered what to do with his life. At the age of 25, he became the youngest referee in Pac-10 history. He worked for the Pac-10 for 16 years and then was lucky enough to join the NFL officiating team, where he worked for 16 years. During this time, he traveled all over the world to help referee many NFL games. Being a Pastor, Steven Wilson also provided a devotional for the teams before games.
Working for the NFL was very challenging, but also very rewarding for the Pastor. Throughout his time with the NFL, he had weekly four-page exams to cover the rules and make sure that they kept up to date with any changes. He stated that about 10% of the rules changed on a regular basis. After every game, he would review the footage to ensure that he called everything correctly and didn’t miss anything. Although very challenging, he cherishes those memories of his fellow referees and players that he met throughout his career.
Here at SaddleBrooke Sunrise Rotary, we have a variety of speakers. Stop in to see who’s speaking next! We meet Thursdays at 8:00 a.m. in the East Room of the MountainView Bistro. All are welcome!