Since he joined the Vincent J. Reilly-New Haven Football Officials Association in 1980, it was Jim Brennan’s goal to get as far as he could in the avocation and worked hard to earn it. Some 38 years later, Brennan has had a career many officials only dream about. A graduate of West Haven High School and a graduate of UConn, Brennan began his career while still in college, working the youth and sub-varsity contests that give all young officials a chance to cut their teeth. Within a few years his work had earned him a spot as a varsity official, and in 1988 he became a member of the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Football Officials and on the staff of the Eastern College Athletic Conference, where he worked Division II and III games as a Side Judge and Line Judge He worked for the ECAC until 1996, when he became a staffer for the Ivy/Patriot League Officials, working I-AA games at Side Judge. He moved over to the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1998 as a Field Judge, and was assigned to the Troy-Appalachian State NCAA Playoff game in 2000. In 2001 he got a call from the Big East Conference, and joined the staff as a Side Judge. During the 12 seasons he was with the Big East, Brennan was assigned to eight bowl games: the 2002 Liberty Bowl (ColoradoTCU); the 2003 New Orleans Bowl (MemphisNorth Texas); the 2006 Orange Bowl (Penn State-Florida State); the Music City Bowl in 2007 and 2009 (Florida State-Kentucky and Clemson-Kentucky, respectively); the 2010 and 2011 Chick Fil-A Bowl (South CarolinaFlorida State and Auburn-Virginia, respectively); and the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl (Fresno State-USC). For two years he worked for NFL-Europe as a Field Judge, doing games in Amsterdam, Spain, Germany and Scotland. When the Big East Conference disbanded he was picked up by its successor, the American Athletic Conference, where he stayed from 2013-2015. Currently, he is with the Colonial/Ivy/Patriot group. In 2017 Jim was assigned the Northern Iowa-South Dakota State playoff game and the Sam Huston StateNorth Dakota State semi-final game While he has worked many national contests and in Europe, Brennan has stayed close to home, being a mentor and educator for the NHFOA. For several years he has helped with the new candidates’ class, teaching the rudiments of officiating. He also brings many plays and situations that can be adapted to the high school game from his college contests