By James Stowell
Screenshot from @depaulbiz Instagram
Last week in Professor Andy Clark’s Introduction to Sports Management class, we had an amazing guest speaker: Tony Michalek.
Mr. Michalek, an NFL Official, boasts over 20 years of experience in the NFL. Some of his greatest accolades as an official even span across the globe, as he has worked two Super Bowls in 2008 and 2017, but also worked in NFL Europe for four years, including being an official for the 2003 World Bowl in Scotland.
Prior to the NFL, he worked for five years in the Big Ten Conference, also as an official, working in the Fiesta, Houston, and Cotten Bowls on multiple occasions.
Mr. Michalek talked heavily about his journey to the NFL across his entire career, sharing some of his most memorable experiences. He also gave students crucial insights on the importance of communication and conflict resolution.
For communication in the NFL, you never know where a message can end up. In his case, this can be from communicating with the rest of his crew for an NFL game, or even to the coaches on the sidelines. When explaining a conflict with former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, Tony explained that [Belichick] knew the rules so well that he could almost bend them. This led to times where Mr. Michalek had to explain why the flag was thrown, including the first ever penalty for an illegal push of a lineman on a field goal attempt.
As far as his advice for communication within class or work, Michalek explained that good communication can give a great first impression when networking or catching up with a previous colleague or boss.
Another key tenet of being an official, as well as throughout a career, is conflict resolution. As an umpire, it is Mr. Michalek’s job to chase the runners down during an offensive play. For instance, in a game where a quarterback gets hit as he is near the sideline, it could be considered a penalty. When tense situations like those arrive, Mr. Michalek takes preemptive measures to prevent a brawl from happening on the sidelines by rushing over to separate the players before the situation escalates.
Another takeaway from our session with Tony was learning how to balance humor and seriousness when talking to colleagues and peers. Mr. Michalek talked about his relationships with many former and current NFL coaches, including Rex Ryan, Jimmy Harbaugh, and Jon Gruden, who he actually met on a phone call thanks to a mutual friend.
Wrapping up our session with Mr. Michalek, our class was given a brief overview on officiating, where several students, including myself, were able to wear referee jerseys and simulate several penalty calls.
Screenshot from @depaulbiz Instagram
Thank you to Tony Michalek for taking the time to visit our class last week!