High school football referee Mel Nelson knows that feeling: good games, crew respect, intricacies of officiating his crew never would have learned on their own. Nelson didn’t have to imagine: He "knew" his prep back judge, Stephen Peterson, was also an active NFL head linesman.

__Peterson was a genuine celeb: His son talked about it at the local high school; his wife heard about her husband working a televised NFL game; a local newspaper told his story, despite the fact that he didn’t want much publicity. Peterson was just a guy trying to give back to grassroots officiating and he wanted to keep it that way.

__But once you’ve reached the NFL, publicity abounds, even for those in striped shirts. From churchgoers to baggers at the local grocery store, people talked about Peterson . He got a standing ovation and signed autographs at a local event." To some he was the most famous person ever from Shawnee, Okla. Trouble is, Stephen Peterson has lived a lie. Though his high school crew was convinced Peterson worked the Eagle-Giants one week and Piedmont-Wellston the next, the only NFL games Peterson ever worked were in his dreams.

__How it started. On Aug. 24,1994, Mel Nelson called Referee, explaining that a mistake had been made in the NFL roster, published in the 9/94 issue. Proudly, Nelson, identified No. 79 as his friend and crewmate Stephen Peterson, not Aaron Pointer as listed. When told that No. 79 was indeed, Pointer was shocked. He refused to believe the truth. Nelson emphatically explained that Peterson had to be in the NFL because of all the things he said about it. Nelson rattled off in remarkable detail a long list of specifics, with each item, shared in a stronger, firmer voice, as if convincing himself it was true.

__Peterson fooled people who believed in him: His wife, his son and his crewmates. Many of those who believed Peterson are educated, professional types, including an elementary school principal, a middle school teacher, a high school athletic director and a small business owner. All were unfamiliar with how the NFL selects officials and that an official needs several years of major college experience before being considered an NFL candidate.

__It may be ironic that Peterson chose the number of an official he closely resembles. Pointer, the real NFL No. 79, doesn’t get a lot of camera time because he works near the sideline. With a passing TV shot of players, perhaps Pointer in the background, maybe... just maybe, the unsuspecting eye could "see" Peterson instead of Pointer.

__Troubled by discrepancies, Nelson said he confronted Peterson Sept. 2 after a prep game. Peterson told the crew he talked to Referee and that things were cleared up; he said Referee made mistakes on five names and that a correction would be published. Peterson told the crew that if anyone asked about his NFL status, "just send them to me. I’ve got proof." When the crew asked to see an NFL pay stub, Peterson became angry. "He said he didn’t have to prove anything to people he considered friends," said Nelson.

__There were doubters. Said Brent Houston, the line judge on the prep crew: "We started getting leery early in 1994 because people were talking. I called Mel after I saw the Referee roster. In the back of my mind, I was suspect. Houston said that initially Nelson wasn’t too concerned, Saying, "That’s Peterson’s problem."

?Through a series of phone calls Referee had with Nelson and others, plus an interview with Peterson, the following scenario evolved. Peterson let people believe that he:

____• Attended a 1993 NFL evaluation camp in Minot, N.D., and was hired right from camp to work nine NFL games in ‘93 and 12 in ‘94.

Jerry Seeman, NFL director of officiating, said the NFL has never had a camp in Minot. The NFL hires officials only for full-season duty, not part of a season.

__The local paper, the Shawnee News-Star, thought so highly of Peterson’s camp attendance that on July 23, 1993, the paper published a news story headlined, "Shawnee man trying to become NFL official." In part, the story said: "Shawnee resident Stephen Peterson was selected and is in attendance in the National Football League Officials’ Camp, which evaluates candidates for officiating in the NFL."

__News-Star sports editor Fred Fehr said he doesn’t recall how the paper got the information. After it was published, Fehr said he heard more about "the NFL thing" at a Little League game in which his son played. Fehr said Peterson was umpiring the game and someone in the stands asked if Fehr was aware that the ump was also an NFL official. "I thought it could be a bigger story," said Fehr. "I contacted him.... He really wanted no part of it and didn’t want any publicity."

____• Worked a Philadelphia Eagles-New York Giants game at the Meadowlands.

?Peterson was identified on a locally televised 1993 prep game, with the announcers saying the contest had an "honored official" who had just returned from the Meadowlands, where he worked the Philly-New York game. Nelson has a copy of the game tape. Houston said Peterson talked about the game: "He said once they walk on the field, it’s constant vocal intimidation. He felt the NFL allowed too much trash talking."

__Peterson did not officiate the Eagles-Giants game.

____• Officiated the Aug. 19,1994, Green Bay at New Orleans preseason game.

__Peterson called Nelson on game day, ostensibly from New Orleans, and said he was "excited" to work the game. "Peterson also told me he may not get back in time for a prep scrimmage we had the next day," said Nelson. When Peterson did arrive for the prep scrimmage, he told the crew how tired he was from jet lag and how exhausted he was from working the game.

__When Brent Houston received his copy of Referee’s 9/94 issue and Peterson wasn’t listed on the NFL official’s roster, Houston called Peterson, asking about it "He told me he just got in from New Orleans. He didn’t come out and say he worked the (Green Bay-New Orleans) game, but he led me to believe (he did). I said to him, ‘By the way, Referee printed a roster of NFL officials and you’re not in it.’ He said, ‘That’s odd.’" The next week, Nelson received an anonymous letter with "Where’s Peterson?" scrawled on the roster. That’s when Nelson first called Referee."

__Another of Peterson’s prep crewmates, umpire Nick Chlouber, was convinced Peterson worked that NFL game: I would have bet my life I saw him on TV. Apparently I saw someone else. I wanted to see him so bad.. I guess I convinced myself."

__Peterson did not officiate the game; Pointer did.

__Other details. As the charade continued, Peterson went with the flow.

__A Sept. 22,1993, letter from Peterson to Bob Richardson, Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Assn. assistant, detailed problems with a local officials’ association. In the letter, Peterson wrote about his attendance at the non-existent NFL camp in Minot. In part, he wrote: "...I was observed by representatives of the National Football League last year and invited to attend their screening and evaluation camp this summer. I told no one except my wife... and I had no intentions of telling anyone. The only way anyone ever knew was as a result of a couple of area press releases from the National Football League office to my local newspaper. I was embarrassed." Jerry Seeman, NFL director of officiating, said his office did not issue any press releases about Peterson.

__According to Richardson, Peterson at the same time sent to the OSSAA the letter and the News-Star item. "That was the first I heard of it," said Richardson. I knew he wasn’t an NFL official. I thought it was just some sort of camp the NFL was sponsoring. I didn’t give it another thought."

__During the summer of ‘94, Peterson, who was in San Antonio, sent a postcard to Nelson, claiming to be at another NFL officials’ camp. In fact, there was no camp. Another time, Peterson got a standing ovation when he entered a high school gym because people knew him as an NFL official. Nelson said parents took their kids to Peterson, who signed autographs.

__Nelson said he received a phone call from Peterson before the ‘94 football season. During the chat, Peterson said he might have to turn back some prep games due to his NFL schedule. Plus, according to Nelson, Peterson said during the season that he had to be careful when leaving for a prep game because he didn’t want to accidentally grab his NFL bag. Also, Peterson taught the prep crew NFL officiating techniques he said he learned at NFL camps. "We learned a lot from him," said Houston. The problem: None of those camps existed.

__Nelson said he and other crew members were excited to work with an NFL official. Said Houston, "We’d kidded around with him on the field and said things like, ‘That’s a big league call.’ "

__Fooling his family. Not only did many locals believe Peterson was an NFL official, his wife Maura said she "thought he worked one time in the NFL because someone said he saw him on TV." She said her husband doesn’ t talk much about his officiating; she doesn’t like officiating because "he’s gone -all the time."

__Mario Peterson, Stephen’s son, said his dad "told me what it was like being in the NFL, being in cold weather, other things. He’d tell me about the cities he went to work games. I believed he was in the NFL."

__Lance Nelson, Mel’s son, and Mario Peterson talked about Stephen’s NFL stories in chem lab at Shawnee High School. Said Mario: "I never saw him on TV; I don’t watch many games. My friends swore up and down they saw him on TV. My dad never talked about specifics (regarding the NFL), only generalities."

__Stephen Peterson’s tales of achievement, according to Nelson, were not limited to the NFL. Nelson said he was led to believe that Peterson officiated NCAA Division I men’s basketball in the Big Eight Conference. In fact, Peterson has never been a member of the Big Eight Conference staff. Also, Peterson’s officiating business card says he has "over 12 years of college experience." When pressed to explain, Peterson said he whistled preseason basketball scrimmages for 12 seasons at St. Gregory’s College, a two-year Shawnee junior college where he was a child-development officer and a psychology and anthropology instructor. He also said he filled in for a game there when the officials didn’t show.

__Nelson said Peterson also talked about playing sports. Nelson remembers clearly the conversations Peterson had with Nelson’s kids about playing end for Illinois in the Rose Bowl. Peterson received a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and never played in the Rose Bowl.

__A surprise visit. On Sept. 2, Referee contacted Jerry Seeman to ask about Peterson. Seeman said he’d never heard of Peterson. Nelson also contacted the NFL regarding Peterson, speaking with Charles Jackson of NFL security.

__On Sept. 13 at Wellston High School, the prep crew received a surprise visit. Nelson said that Larry Olson, a retired FBI agent from Oklahoma City who now does security work for the NFL, showed up at halftime of the game and confronted Peterson. Peterson and Olson had a private discussion. Nelson said that after Olson left, Peterson reiterated to the crew that he is in the NFL. He said Olson was just checking on some security matters.

__Houston recalls Olson’s visit: "When the FBI guy showed up, we were so skittish at the time. I realized things were getting real serious then." After Olson left, Houston said he questioned Peterson. "I asked him, ‘Are you... in the NFL?’ He said ‘Yes,’ and we went out and called the game." Houston said Nelson was very concerned about calling a game with a guy he didn’t trust.

__Referee contacted Jackson, who declined to comment on the surprise visit, but did say, "Mr. Peterson has not ever applied to the NFL and is not currently in the NFL." Finally convinced Peterson was lying, Nelson fired Peterson from the prep crew.

__Before that, Nelson believed the imposter’s NFL stories and was proud to be working with an NFL official, in part because Peterson’s enhanced credibility improved the crews high school schedule. "We received many good games because local athletic directors and coaches wanted the crew with the NFL official," said Nelson. Jay Wood, football coach at Stratford High School, said that in 1993, he was contacted by Nelson, who sought assignments. "When Nelson came in (to work a game in 1993), he told me they had an NFL official on their crew. I thought it was great," said Wood.

__Tom Howell, athletic director at Piedmont High School (PHS), said, "Mel mentioned the NFL guy when trying to get a few games years ago." He added: "It’s a good opportunity for them to learn from the best. For Peterson to call NFL and still call high school ... is a real neat deal." Howell recalled the first time Nelson’s crew drove to PHS to work there. "I poked my head into their car and asked, Which one’s the NFL guy?’ We were real happy to have them."

__The Peterson interview. Referee met with and interviewed Peterson in mid-September in Oklahoma City. At first, he denied ever claiming to be an NFL official. Said Peterson: "I’m not sure why people are saying I’m in the NFL. I said at one point I’d like to work in the NFL, but never said that I was."

__Throughout the first portion of the interview, Peterson continued to deny involvement in any deception. He was articulate and confident.

__He was asked about the details of some of the stories. He said he never saw the News-Star article, though Richardson said he was given a copy with Peterson’s letter. What about the intro mentioning the Eagles-Giants game? Peterson said he was aware of it only after it happened. The standing ovation in the high school gym? Peterson recalled the incident. His son Mario believing the deception? Peterson said he never talked about the NFL with his son. What about the letter to the OSSAA, listing Peterson’s involvement with the non-existent Minot camp? Contrary to the contents of the letter, Peterson said, "I told the (OSSAA) that I might be considered for the NFL because I’ve been to many camps, but not NFL camps."

__Then, well into the interview, Peterson approached the truth. When asked about the visit by the NFL security rep, Peterson explained that "I said to Olson I may have uttered some things that may have been misconstrued by quite a few people."

__Just when it seems as if Peterson is about to confront the truth, he stops short and offers the rationale that people are out to "get" him and he hints at how his prep crew was in on the elaborate scheme. In 1993, Peterson and the rest of the crew left the powerful Shawnee Football Officials’ Assn. (SFOA), wanting to get their own games. Peterson said the crew may have used his NFL story to "stick it" to the SFOA. "The crew may have used me as the fall guy," said Peterson. "I think what has happened with all this has been driven by our desire to be on our own, to stop being beaten over by the (SFOA)." He said that "I did not pawn myself off" as an NFL official.

__Crewmates Nelson, Houston and Chlouber deny participating in the charade. In fact, the three said Peterson apologized to them for the "misunderstandings." Nelson noted that Peterson "Said he just wanted to upset the (SFOA) and didn’t think it would go this far." Chlouber added that Peterson "felt this was a way for him to get back at people for the way he was treated. He apologized more than once. He said, ‘I can’t believe I did it. I thought (the SFOA) would be so envious, it’d hurt them.’"

__Motives. Chlouber and Houston think Peterson’s problems with the SFOA were part of his motivation to pretend he had NFL status. In his letter to the OSSAA, Peterson, who is African American and American Indian, alluded to racial discrimination within the SFOA. Peterson told Referee he called three SFOA members "racists." He added, "If anything got started, it was more out of frustration with the people I attempted to work for."

__Peterson explained that in 15 years he received from the SFOA 11 prep varsity games. He wrote in the letter to the OSSAA’s Richardson that Shawnee Football Association’s current leadership overtly discriminates against anyone it perceives as a threat to their pre-eminence as officials he added: "I am not stupid nor am I intellectually deficient. I have probably the highest education level of any sports official in the State of Oklahoma. I have a Ph.D. and I am working on my second Ph.D. in-psychology.... I, therefore, submit to you that I am far from being stupid and unintelligible.

__In the interview with Referee, Peterson said that in 1974 he received a Ph.D. in Anthropology from "Oklahoma." Daryl Mehl, academic records verification specialist at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, informed Referee that Peterson attended Oklahoma sporadically from 1973 through 1989. Mehl said Peterson never received any degree from Oklahoma.

__The SFOA has about 48 members who live in and around Shawnee (population about 26,500; located 35 miles east of Oklahoma City). The SFOA began operations around 1975. Carl Holt assigned games from 1980-1991 and is now an advisor. Chlouber called Holt the "godfather" of Shawnee officiating.

__Holt said the SFOA annually assigns all or part of the varsity football schedules for 13 to 15 area schools. The group also assigns JV and freshman contests. In a separate role, Holt is a football coordinator for the OSSAA, serving as a liaison between officials, schools and the OSSAA. He also is an OSSAA football rules interpreter.

__Holt confirmed that Nelson, Houston, Chlouber, Peterson and Jim Stanley, the fifth member of the five-man crew (Stanley did not return phone messages left by Referee), formed their own group to try to get more games. Holt said: "We never told them to leave Shawnee.... Race has never been an issue. If the person can do the job, he’s going to get games."

__While the conflict with the SFOA may be a part of his motivation, only Stephen Peterson knows why he deceived. Peterson addressed the "feel good" aspect of the deception when he explained why he didn’t correct Chlouber, who thought he’d seen Peterson on TV officiating the Packers-Saints game. "I didn’t correct him because I thought... it was interesting that someone would give me that type of praise," Peterson said. "I felt good because maybe I had come of age with some people in the Shawnee area.... It was the very idea that the possibility was there, that I might have the talent."

__Why didn’t the crew, the coach, the athletic director, Peterson’s family and others know something was amiss? For those who believed, it may simply be a matter of trust combined with a lack of knowledge of how NFL officials are selected and work. Or, did the crew, led by Nelson, ignore the truth in order to benefit by getting better games and attracting more local attention?

__On the other hand, perhaps Peterson was able to fool people because they have old-fashioned beliefs, which could make them gullible. "I don’t ever doubt anyone right off the bat," said Houston. "Peterson said that in 1993 he received an invitation to attend an NFL camp. I didn’t pay much attention to it. The next week he said he had made the cut and was given some games. I didn’t know better; I’ve never been to a camp. On the way to a high school game, he said he had a partial NFL schedule for 1993. The crew congratulated him." Added Houston, "If the guy tells me he’s been in Vietnam, I don’t question him." Noted Chlouber: "I was very disappointed to find out the truth. I was hurt because I put total trust into what he was telling me."

__The dust begins to settle. Weeks after Peterson was kicked off the crew and the truth surfaced, he was as asked to come back and officiate game of the ‘94 season, Oct. 28 at Wellston High. Nelson explained that it was a "big game" and that the host school wanted five officials. Nelson’s crew, sans Peterson, was down to four. After no acceptable replacement was found, Nelson invited Peterson to work. He did; Nelson said the game went well. "We’ve got easygoing guys on the crew," said Nelson. "Peterson’s admitted his mistakes. Our attitudes were, ‘We’re going to do our jobs and as long as he does his for four quarters, we can all go our separate ways.’"

__"Mr. Peterson made a grave error in losing credibility," said Chlouber. "He told me he was very sorry for the sheer stupidity. He’s a good man."

__Nelson said the crew is "very worried" their officiating careers will suffer because of "this NFL thing." It is unclear what, if anything, the OSSAA plans to do about it. The OSSAA’s Richardson said he didn’t know the crew was getting games because of "the NFL thing." He added, "If we knew he was using it, we would have stepped in."

__On Oct. 29, the day after the final game, Nelson and Chlouber were told by Peterson that he did not work a preseason game for the NFL, but he did work an NFL scrimmage after attending the camp in Minot. When told by Referee that there was no camp in Minot, Nelson said: "That’s it! I’m not believing anything he says anymore."

__Summing things up during his interview, Peterson said: "Certain things may have been said... wrongly. In the excitement of it all, I now have a cult. Some of the other people have understood how this thing has snowballed."

__There will undoubtedly be people who will smirk at the strangeness of it all. Others will likely be shocked that an official, who should be the epitome of integrity, would dream up and allow such a deception to take place. Others will question how the prep crew didn’t know the truth or, worse, ignored it. Some might even wonder when and where Stephen Peterson’s deceptions begin and end.

__There will be others, likely in the Shawnee area, who will revel in the evolution and publication of this story. Said Chlouber: "You can bet the Shawnee group is loving this."

__Stated Nelson: "He (Peterson) didn’t come forth with the truth until we pressed him. I believe if we didn’t press him, to this day he wouldn’t have told us (the truth)."

__Concluded Houston: "What he’s done to me personally is embarrass me. I told friends, family and others about working with an NFL guy. Now I just have to tell them I got fooled."

The Key Players

Here are the brief bios of the members of the crew which Peterson worked. They are listed in order of appearance in the photo, from left to right. All live in Oklahoma.

Mel Nelson, 44, is a health education teacher at Shawnee Middle School. He has been officiating football since 1984.

Brent Houston, 36, is the principal at Pleasant Grove (elementary) School. He started officiating football in 1989 and also works softball. He formerly officiated basketball.

Jim Stanley did not return phone messages left by Referee.

Nick Chlouber, 51, owns an appliance repair and service business. He began football officiating in 1986.

Stephen Peterson, 46, is the Inidan child welfare director for the Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma. He began officiating football in the Shawnee area in 1978; has attended numerous basketball and football officiating camps and clinics. Has a bachelor’s degree in Anthropoligy (1970) and a master’s in Education (1971), both from Indiana University.

The Games of Stephan Peterson