Few officials can claim to have presided over as many international games of American football as veteran Bill LeMonnier, who will take charge of the Tazón de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars) for the fourth time on Saturday, December 20.
In addition to officiating three previous Tazón de Estrellas, in Puebla, Guadalajara and Monterrey, LeMonnier has officiated at several Global Football events, including the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl played in Tanzania in 2011, two Global Challenge Bowl games in Tokyo, and games played in Australia, Panama and Europe.
LeMonnier officiated the 2011 BCS National Championship Game between Auburn and Oregon. In 20 seasons with the Big 10 Conference, he has been honored with 16 Bowl assignments, including the Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Pigskin Classic, Texas Bowl, GMAC Bowl and Independence Bowl. He has worked eight seasons in the Arena Football League, serving as the referee for Arena Bowl XVII, and also worked the 2007 and 2011 IFAF World Championships played in Japan and Austria respectively.
“We are very fortunate to have Bill heading up the officiating crew again for us in Mexico, as he always brings the highest level of professionalism to the event,” said Global Football President Patrick Steenberge. “He and I have shared many great football moments around the world, as well as cultural exchange opportunities. I am hopeful we can work cooperatively for many years to come.”
Working alongside LeMonnier will be Mario Matos and Alex Zarganis who have also officiated previously at the Tazón de Estrellas and the Global Kilimanjaro Bowl. They will be joined by Mexican officials Edmundo Rubio, Sergio Avila, David Avila, Ivan Veronico and Ricardo Siller.
Tazón de Estrellas officials
Referee: Bill LeMonnier
Umpire: Ivan Veronico
Center Judge: Mario Matos
Head Linesman: Alex Zarganis
Line Judge: David Avila
Field Judge: Sergio Avila
Side Judge: Edmundo Rubio
Back Judge: Ricardo Siller
The sixth annual Tazón de Estrellas will be broadcast live from Puebla at 2pm EDT (1pm local time) on Saturday via a webcast. The webcast will be available with Spanish language commentary at the website http://www.tvudlap.mx/.
Central College defensive coordinator Don DeWaard is the head coach of Team Stars & Stripes having led the Americans to a 32-15 victory in Guadalajara and a 29-7 win in Monterrey in 2013. American Eric Fisher, who won the 2010 CONADEIP championship with UDLAP and led the hosts to a 45-27 win over Team Stars & Stripes in 2011, returns to coach the Mexican all-stars.