From staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — Former Southeastern Conference football official and retired general Dick Burleson was the featured speaker at the Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon Oct. 16.
Burleson has been a football official in the Southeastern Conference for 25 years and worked a full schedule of top SEC games every year as head referee. He officiated 15 major bowl games and an SEC Championship game.
From left are Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce Board President June Mathews, Dick Burleson and Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Diane Poole.
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He’s now an SEC staff adviser on officiating and evaluates officials’ performance each Saturday. On any given Saturday during football season, he and the evaluation team watch seven games at once on 80-inch screens from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. They are connected to the instant replay booth in each stadium. An observer at each stadium calls Burleson after each game to compare notes. They’re also connected to CBS and ESPN to talk about the calls. They can tell announcers when they make a mistake and suggest they correct this mistake or “look foolish” Monday morning.
His book, “You Better Be Right,” named by borrowing a quote in a conversation between himself and coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, has reached the No. 1 Best Sellers list at Barnes & Noble.
The chamber also recognized Chase at Nelms Pharmacy as its October Customer Service Award recipient.
