When is the last time you attended an officiating camp/clinic?

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Don’t Get Blinded By the Media’s Glare

Getting the big game — a state playoff contest, a showdown between traditional rivals or a game to decide a conference championship — is the goal of many officials. Chances are good the big game will be televised, broadcast on the radio or covered by scores of print reporters. What does all of that mean to you? Are you prepared to handle the extra attention?

On game day, you’ll likely sense a different atmosphere when you drive into town or arrive at the site. There will be a sort of electricity in the air when you take the field or court. Soak it in and enjoy it; after all, you’ve worked hard to get the assignment. But your pregame preparations and routine should remain the same. You’ll want to work the game as if it were a run-of-the-mill contest; that attitude begins before the game.

If pregame meetings with coaches are required, ignore any suggestions that you need to be especially vigilant. Avoid a response such as, “Coach, this is just another game to us,” which implies a casual attitude to your job. A better response would be something like, “Coach, the best teams are here, including the officials. Let’s all go out and have a great game.”

Once the game begins, don’t fall into the trap of playing to the camera. Give your signals crisply but don’t exaggerate them. Avoid false hustle. If the increased pace is better, why aren’t you using it all of the time?

Remember that there may be microphones near the playing surface. You don’t want to say something unprofessional when dealing with sideline personnel, players and crewmates.

If a controversial play occurs during the game, the press may approach you for a clarification or comment. If a conference supervisor or similar official is on site, refer the reporters to that person. If not, you’re better off declining comment. Reporters, especially those on tight deadlines, often don’t have time to get the sort of detailed explanation an unusual or controversial play requires. Even live TV has its pitfalls. Avoid them by leaving the comments for someone else.

When possible, get a copy of the telecast. Because television usually offers multiple camera angles, the tape is a great learning tool. Beyond that, it’s a great keepsake and a reminder of the fruits of your labor.

Written by Jeffrey Stern, Referee senior editor. This article originally appeared in the 1/03 issue of Referee.

Reflections on a Half-Century of Officiating

By Dan Henige, NASO Charter Member

I started officiating as a 13-year-old freshman in 1953. I remember working Catholic Youth Organization football games in Toledo, Ohio, dressed in white cook pants bloused at the knees, and a shirt that buttoned down the middle similar to a dress shirt. The penalty flag was red and white, and we wore either a red or green armband to assist with substitutions. We also wore a horn on our wrist that we blew if we had a live-ball foul to let the referee know there was a penalty.

Because of the distance from my house to the field, I usually hitchhiked to the games. It’s hard to imagine doing that today. I learned so much working those games. Fans — mostly parents, of course — at those games were very passionate, so you learned to deal with stress at an early age. Officiating has evolved, but some things never change.

From the time I began officiating football as a freshman, I probably worked more than a thousand football, basketball and softball games before applying for my license. When I became 19, I took the exams and became a member of both the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the Michigan High School Athletic Association. Toledo is right on the border.

I worked my first varsity game on Oct. 20, 1961, just before I turned 22. I was a replacement official and I remember being so nervous that I locked the car and left my pants on the front seat. Fortunately, my fiancée (who had accompanied me) had the keys, and I was able to find her and retrieve my pants.

After returning from military duty in 1962, my varsity career began in earnest. At that time most schools hired only three officials, and there weren’t any offenses that resembled today’s wide-open attack. Many smaller schools at the time didn’t have scoreboards, so administrators from both schools stood about 20 yards behind the offense and kept time with stopwatches. The game fee was usually $15.

The standardized crew concept was a distance dream back then. Often you would arrive at the game site without any idea as to who the rest of the crew would be.

In the late 1960s, crews were expanded to four and the crew concept began to flourish. I wanted the challenge of being the guy in charge, so I formed a crew along with my friend Jay Kayser, and we began booking games. At that time, there were very few assigners, so Jay and I would take a day each year and visit athletic directors with the hope of impressing them enough that they would assign us a game or two.

In the early 1970s, Jay and I began to pursue games at the college level. In Ohio, that goal was best reached through the Ohio Association of Football Officials. Imagine how heady it was to attend its annual meeting in Columbus in January and to be able to rub elbows with guys who had just worked the Rose Bowl. It was also a bit easier then because colleges still had separate freshman programs. I had the advantage too that I was employed by Bowling Green State University. I was able to work freshman games that involved teams from the University of Michigan, Miami of Ohio, Toledo and most of the schools in the Mid-American Conference. I was fortunate to have worked varsity games in the Ohio Athletic Conference in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

I was blessed all those years because I had support from my late wife Laurie, who was always there to make sure my equipment was clean and ready to go. Even with time off for military duty and to watch my son and daughter participate in high school, I was still able to work 376 high school varsity games.

Reflecting on my career, my closest friends are those I met while officiating. There is a bond that only officials can understand. Now, after 53 years of officiating, I still maintain my license as I enjoy the camaraderie and ability to help mentor other officials. I’ll always be proud to say I was a sports official and a charter member of NASO.