Robert W. Skelton
- Robert W. Skelton
- Current: NFL Replay Official
- Hometown Pell City Panther’s team 1952-1956
- College University of Alabama 1956-1960
- 1959 Liberty Bowl Game
- 1960 Blue Bonnet Bowl Game
- 1960 Most Valuable Player North/South Football Game
- 1960 Declined invitation to play Senior Bowl to be eligible for Baseball
- 1961 Signed with Denver Broncos
- 1961 Coached Football University of Alabama
- 1962 Graduated University of Alabama
- 1962-64 Coached football and basketball at Pell City Ala
- 1964 Started Officiating Football and Basketball at the high school level
- 1972-85 Officiated the SEC, Gator Bowl, Orange Bowl,Independence Bowl,Bluebonnet Bowl,Cotton Bowl, Senior Bowl Gray/Blue Game
- Two Orange Bowl games for National Championship
- 1985-2002 Officiated in the NFL
- 1989 Officiated the Superbowl XXIII
- Occupation Commissioner of the Alabama Junior and Community College Conference
- Career Ref: 30 years NFL since 1985
Official Path
1961 Skelton was drafted by the Denver Bronco’s of the old AFL and made it to the last cut. When a pro career did not develop he called Bear Brant who gave him a job coaching the freshman team while Skelton completed his degree. To make extra money Skelton started officiating high school games on Friday nights. He knew Gordon Pettus who owned a sporting goods store in Tuscaloosa AL and was also started our as an official. Later Pettus would become a SEC of official and Skelton followed him into the college ranks
After he graduated, Skelton coached for several years in Pell City, Huntsville, and Montgomery. He actually started the athletic program at Hooper’s Academy. He later went into private business for a construction company but throughout he kept his officiating ties.
Skelton didn’t just call football. He was a tough -as -nails high school basketball official recalled Charles Lee who coached football and basketball for many years at Jeff Davis High School. Lee recalled the time he tested Skelton on the hardwood. “Some calls weren’t going how I liked in the first half Lee said “I vented my aggression to Bobby on the way to the locker room at halftime. “Charles I’m not listening to this…If you some much as stand up in the second half I’m going to give you a technical. Lee said he could not call a technical on a coach for just standing up… You watch and see” Shelton said: Things to better in the second half. the teams plays improved and Lee calmed down. But later in the third quarter he thought he’d try the ref. He was coming down the far side of the court after we made a basket.. “I stood up and looked at him..didn’t say a word. He blew his whistle and let me have it”! I just laughed and sat down but never tried him again. Lee said Skelton always had an outstanding Professional manner as an official. “A good official means everything to a game “As a coach you feel if you can get a fairly called game your kids can do their best.”
NFL Career
Skelton made it to the NFL in 1985- he recalled his first game in Miami the Dolphins vs. Minnesota. There were great players in the NFL ; Dan Marino, Toney Dorresett, Deion Sanders, and Walter Payton. Skelton said Payton was one of his favorites. He’s a highly intelligent, , classy, articulate guy. Shelton was the back judge and worked closely with the defense backs. But of all the great players he saw perhaps the most career defining game was Joe Montana’s performance in Super Bowl XXXIII The 49ers trailed16–13 with just over 3 minutes left when Joe Montana took them 92 yards in 11 plays Montana hit John Taylor with a 10 yard scoring pass with 34 seconds left. In highlight reels that have shown that memorable play so many times. Skeleton is the Referee holding his hands to signal the game winning Touch Down. It was the Greatest Thrill! Skelton was chosen to call the Super Bowl by a grading system based on performance. “The super bowl is the easiest game you’ll ever have to call. Nobody wants to make a mistake They are playing of something on everybody can earn. That game is for the ring not the money, the level of competition is just so high there aren’t a lot of penalties”. The season can be a grind. A referee calls about 4 preseason games. 15-16 regular season games and the playoff game. the travel is demanding and it’s a physically challenging job. There are 119 officials in the league
Early Years & Bear Bryant
Robert W. Shelton (Bobby ) career in football began when he was a 4th grader playing for mill teams in his home town Pell City Al. From 1952-1956 He played for Coach Will Glover At Pell City high school. The PellCity Panthers were 38-1-1 in four years. Robert was recruited by many schools but choose Alabama’s struggling program under J.B “Ears” Whitworth. Whitworth was fired after Skelton’s freshman year. He was replaced by “Bear” Bryant. Skelton was in the middle of Bryant’s fabled turnaround at Alabama. “It was a big as anything I’ve ever seen” he said. The folklore that said the program was filled with outlaws. All those guys weren’t renegades. The guys under Whitworth just were not winning.There were military vets, in the program however, who were there on the GI bill. They had money and spent a lot of it carousing and drinking. Often they did not set foot on the field. That ended after Bryant’s first meeting with the team. Most of the “Problem Children saw the handwriting on the wall and escaped before the first Bryant practice he said. When coach Bryant got there a lot of suitcases got packed. The story of Bryant taking his Texas A&M football team to Junction Texas for bootcamp that resulted in more than half the team quitting was already part of the legend by the time he got to Alabama. We were as isolated on campus as they were isolated in Junction. Bryant’s discipline was legendary, his practices were harsh. The people who couldn’t handle it didn’t last. Bryant ran off some people who needed running off. Bryant was a tremendous influence. He still thinks about the things Bryant said more than 40 years later. He related things in football to everyday life.. He stressed that the players should get their degrees and stressed the importance of home and family. ”You go through life and remember coach Bryant talking around sacrifice, dedication and preparedness. Also to be alert and know what is going on around you and never give up. The people who played for him had every respect for him we were afraid of him but he was like a Daddy. You were afraid of your Daddy sometimes too. There were lot of lessons learned and a lot of people changed”.
