Lifetime Achievement for Officials
Jim Ramirez, Arkansas City, Kansas

• Chosen 16 times to officiate at the NCAA Division I Championships

• Consistently ranked among the top 10 referees at the national tournament

• Named 2004 national “Outstanding Official of the Year” 

For more than 22 years, Jim Ramirez officiated the most prestigious conference wrestling tournaments in the nation. Chosen 16 times to officiate the NCAA Division I Championships, he was consistently ranked among the top 10 referees. He also refereed for eight NCAA Division II Championships and two NAIA Championships.

Ramirez conducted clinics coast-to-coast for state high school officials associations. He authored “The Art of Officiating Collegiate Wrestling,” the only book dedicated to improving referees’ skills.

Ramirez was honored as the 2004 Collegiate Wrestling Officials Association “Outstanding Official of the Year” and was twice named the Kansas “Official of the Year.” He currently serves as Coordinator of Officials for the Big Ten and Big 12 Conferences.