Report: Ron Winter will work as referee for Patriots-Dolphins

Ron Winter will work his first Patriots game of the year on Sunday. (AP)

Ron Winter will work as the lead official for this weekend’s Patriots-Dolphins game, according to our friends at FootballZebras.com.

Winter, who was promoted from line judge to official in 1998, has worked as a college professor at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Sunday will mark his first New England game of 2012 — his last Patriots game came late in the 2011 season when he served as the referee for a Patriots-Colts game at Gillette Stadium, a contest that ended with New England coming away with a 31-24 win.

Some eventful Patriots games he worked in the past as a referee include a 2000 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Lions in Detroit — a game where Tom Brady threw his first pass as a professional. In addition, he was the referee for an October 2003 game between the Patriots and Titans at Gillette. That game was a 38-30 win for New England, a game that started the Patriots’ 21-game win streak.

For more on Winter, check out his page at Pro Football Reference. And for the rest of this week’s referee assignments, check out FootballZebras.com.