Jim Ramirez is so passionate about being a wrestling official that he wrote a book about it.

For more than 22 years, Ramirez patrolled the center of the mat officiating for the most prestigious conference wrestling tournaments in the nation, including the Big 12 (formerly the Big Eight), the Big Ten, the Pac-10 and the Western Athletic Conference Championships.

He was selected 16 straight times to officiate the NCAA Division I Championships and was consistently ranked among the top 10 referees. In addition, he refereed for eight NCAA Division II Championships and two NAIA Championships.

No stranger to heated rivalries, he is the only referee to serve at both the Iowa vs. Iowa State and Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State duals twice in the same season. He also participated in making wrestling history, calling Dan Gable’s very last dual as a head coach, and circling the mat during Cael Sanderson’s first NCAA final as a freshman.

Ramirez has been generous with his wrestling knowledge, conducting clinics coast-to-coast (plus Hawaii) for state high school wrestling officials associations. He is the author of “The Art of Officiating Collegiate Wrestling” which is the only book dedicated to improving referees’ skills and sold 5,000 copies.

He was selected by the National Federation of High Schools as a clinician on its videotape of rule interpretations and proper officiating mechanics, and is the creator of the educational videotape for officials entitled “Two-Man Mechanics, the 25 Must-Do’s with Using an Assistant.”

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