Tom Barnes, a retired NFL official will talk about what a typical week is like for an NFL official.  It is much more than working 3 hours Sunday afternoon.  It involves preparation, rules study, conditioning, and much more.  Also, how does an aspiring football official get to work in the NFL.  It is a very long road to get to the top.  
 

Born and raised in Saint Paul, Barnes currently live in Eagan.  He graduated from Saint Paul Central High School and the University of Minnesota.  While at the U, he was the Big Ten Shot-Put champion, 1965.  Barnes began officiating in 1968 and worked at the high school and small college level till 1982.  He worked in The Big Conference from 1983 to 1985 and in 1986 started working in the National Football League.  During those 26 years Tom worked a total of 513 games.  Of those 513 games, 17 were play-off games, of those 17 play-off games 6 were League Championship games, 3 Pro Bowls, and Super Bowl 28. Tom retired in Oct. 2012.