Long-time NFL referee Craig Wrolstad will serve as the head official for Sunday’s Week 9 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts. Wrolstad was announced as part of league’s weekly game release previewing the matchup.
Working eight games this year, Wrolstad and his crew have called 120 penalties. That average of 15 per game ranks as one of the NFL’s lowest, only ahead of Brad Allen and Brad Rogers. With 19, offensive holding has been the most frequent, followed by false start (14), and defensive pass interference (8). None of those numbers rank especially high among officials, especially on a per-game basis.
He is considered one of the NFL’s most-respected referee and among its longest-tenured active members. Of head refs, only Carl Cheffers and John Hussey have worked more games than Wrolstad.
The home team has won five of the eight games Wrolstad’s officiated this season. The Steelers are hosting the Colts this weekend.
Breaking into the NFL as a field judge in 2003, where he held the role for Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravena and San Francisco 49ers, Wrolstad was promoted to head official for the start of the 2014 season. In that role, Sunday will mark his 13th Steelers’ game, playoffs included. Pittsburgh is 8-4 in the previous twelve. Most recently, Wrolstad officiated last year’s Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs, a 29-10 Steelers’ loss.
Perhaps the most memorable Steelers’ game Wrolstad officiated came in 2018 against the New Orleans Saints. Cornerback Joe Haden was called for two questionable pass interference penalties in a 31-28 loss late in the season.
“It is what it is, man. It’s an offensive game. You can’t touch these guys,” Haden said postgame via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “At the same time, with the pushoff, they didn’t say anything about Michael [Thomas] pushing me off in the end zone for the last play. It’s just tough being a defensive back, but we gotta [play] — that’s what we do.”
Other notable Pittsburgh games he’s officiated include the 2004 AFC Divisional Round contest against the New York Jets, a game the Steelers won in overtime thanks to Doug Brien’s two missed field goals. Wrolstad was the head referee for multiple Steelers’ playoff games, a 2010 Divisional loss to the Baltimore Ravens and 2016 Wild Card win over the Miami Dolphins. He worked one playoff game last year between the Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While he is respected in the officiating community, Wrolstad came under fire for a poorly called playoff game in a 2023 postseason game between the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams.
Prior to the NFL, Wrolstad worked college games for the then-Pac 10 and the Arena Football League. Before becoming a ref, he served as a teacher in the Seattle area. For a time, Wrolstad was also the Athletic Director at Seattle Christian High School, though it appears he no longer holds the position.
