【2003 Archives】

003 Archivesearly star of Monday night's college football national championship game between Alabama and Clemson played for neither the Crimson Tide nor the Tigers.

No, the early star was a ref -- an unusually buff ref, that is.

The ref in question's name is Mike Defee, a 54-year-old who typically calls games in the Big 12 Conference. Defee is indeed particularly jacked -- and his yolked-ness was amply displayed each time ESPN cameras zeroed in on him while he explained a call on the field.

The peanut gallery on Twitter, of course, had a field day with a ref who looked like he could still blow up a running play in the backfield.

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Many were also quick to note the similarities between Defee and Ed Hochuli, an NFL official similarly renowned for his apparent dedication to a rigorous workout regimen. Hochuli's name even briefly became a trending topic, thanks to football fans' obsession with Defee.

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Anyway, congrats to Defee on being buff and congrats to Twitter on the faves and retweets.

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