Mark Hittner

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Mark Hittner (left) talks with Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren

Mark Hittner is an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) since the beginning of the 1997 NFL season. He works as a head linesman and wears the uniform number 28. He is most notable for officiating in the last three of five Super Bowls, most recently in Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006 between the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Hittner played college football at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas from 1976 to 1979 where he was an all-conference quarterback in 1978-79 and is the school’s second-leading career passer in yards (4,830).

Hittner was a college football official in the Big Eight/Big 12 Conference for 13 years prior to joining the NFL in 1997. He worked the first Big 12 championship game at the Trans World Dome in St. Louis in 1996, won by the Texas Longhorns over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 37-27.

In the NFL, Hittner has officiated eight post-season assignments including Super Bowls XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XL in addition to two wild-card, one divisional, and 2 conference championship games.

For the 2006 NFL season, Hittner is a head linesman on the officiating crew headed by referee Ed Hochuli and has worked with Hochuli since the 2000 NFL season.

Outside of his NFL officaiting duties, Hittner owns a financial services company in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.

Hittner is married and has three sons.

[edit] Super Bowl XL

Hittner was the head linesman on the Super Bowl XL officiating crew headed by referee Bill Leavy. The game was most notable for the media and fan reaction to the officiating. Hittner is most notable for a touchdown call he made in the second quarter with two minutes remaining in the first half. On third down from the Seattle one-yard line, Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took the snap, faked a handoff, and dove toward the left side of a pile along the goal-line before being hit by Seahawks linebacker D.D. Lewis. After first raising one hand (as if to indicate that the quarterback was down), Hittner raised a second arm to signal a touchdown. The play stood after instant replay review. Hittner later said about the play, "That was probably the closest goal-line call I've ever had. Jeez, that was close. My mechanics were not the best on that. I thought 'touchdown' in my head, and then I went up with one arm, which means the play is over, but I should have went with two arms. I was thinking one thing and did another. I've seen a lot of video on it, and he’s in the end zone. It's not by a whole lot, but he's in there."