If grit and toughness tempered by good humor are characteristics of good football officiating, John A. "Jack" Warner had it in spades. A 1939 graduate of Hillhouse High School and 1943 graduate of Notre Dame University, Warner played for the Academics and the Fighting Irish, before joining the service through the remainder of World War II. After his discharge, he got back into football by becoming a member of the Connecticut Football Officials Association, the original "board" in Connecticut, in 1947. He later was a charter member of the New Haven Football Officials Association, and became its President in 1966. He served on the executive board from 1965 to his retirement. He remained a member until 1979, when he retired from active officiating. He joined the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Football Officials in 1951, and quickly moved up the ranks to become one of the top-rated Head Linesmen in the organization. He was elected President of the Metro (New York City) Chapter in 1974, and served as an EAIFO Director from 1962-1979. Besides working many local top high school games throughout his career, he worked four Yale-Harvard games, four Pittsburgh-Penn State games, the 1966 Orange Bowl between Alabama and Nebraska, and the 1970 Orange Bowl between Mississippi and Arkansas. His longtime friend C. Francis "Chick" Toomey (a 2008 inductee to the Hall of Fame) worked opposite him as a Line Judge. He worked two CIAC playoff games, including the inaugural year of the playoffs, when he worked the Class M championship game between St. Paul and Hand of Madison. Always quick-witted, Warner was a favorite among high school and collegiate coaches for his ability to explain situations and communicate rulings to the sideline, but he was not one to suffer fools lightly, and would have quick but polite retort if he thought the situation merited it. A mentor to many who followed him in donning the stripes, Jack could be a kind mentor or a tough taskmaster, depending on the situation. He was well respected among his colleagues for his honesty. He and his wife, Jo, had four children.