EP Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2020: Robert Hemphill Jr. (Football Official)

EL PASO, Texas - Football officiating is a thankless job, but Robert Hemphill Jr. has enjoyed every minute of it.

Wednesday, Hemphill Jr. will be inducted into the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the officials category.

Hemphill Jr. is part of the Class of 2020, but due to Covid-19 the El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame was unable to host an induction ceremony last year.

A native of Eagle Lake, Texas, Hemphill Jr. started working high school football games as a Division one offficial.

He's a 36-year veteran high school football official with playoff experience at the district, bi-district, area, regional and state levels.

Hemphill Jr. also officiated games in Mexico, and even handled some scrimmages for UTEP football games.

The last game he officiated was in 2018.

"When I got into officiating back in 1982, I wasn't doing it to become a member of the hall of fame," Hemphill Jr. said. "I was just doing it because I loved the kids, and trying to be there for the kids. That was my whole purpose, but to get this nomination is a dream come true for me."

The El Paso Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the Class of 2020 is Wednesday at 6 p.m.

ABC-7 will be livestreaming the event at KVIA.com.