Bob Newhart stole the show during Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship. Well, at least a guy who looks EXACTLY LIKE HIM.
The lead referee of the Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Oregon Ducks game, Greg Burks, bears a striking resemblance to the veteran actor, whom Good Morning America recognized as Buddy the Elf’s adopted dad:
Okay, yeah, the head ref does look like Bob Newhart. “He didn’t make Master Tinker until he was 490.” #CFBConGMA pic.twitter.com/scSv0pVV8n
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 13, 2015
Here are more comparisons on Twitter:
Game’s starting to wear us down. Time to stare at Bob Newhart ref again: http://t.co/fCay0v0XvD pic.twitter.com/bBft9gIXzk
— SportsonEarth (@SportsonEarth) January 13, 2015
Tonight’s referee = Bob Newhart, Will Ferrell’s dad in “Elf” (h/t most of Twitter) pic.twitter.com/98Rq8CdFgZ
— Complex Sports (@Complex_Sports) January 13, 2015
Could it be Newhart’s long lost bro? Could it just be the actor not-so-secretly fulfilling a lifelong dream? Or could the TV star just be really, really bored and looking for something to do? Newhart himself seems to suggest so:
In regards to my new career as head ref for #OSUvsORE – Hey, I don’t have a series any more – I had to do something. #OSUvsORE — Bob Newhart (@BobNewhart) January 13, 2015
Oh, and in case you were curious, Ohio State took home the title, 42 – 20.
[Photo Credit: @cliffsaunders]