a Little bit of background
“Get there a little early and don’t be in a hurry to leave!”
The best advice I got concerning officiating!
My first SEC officiating assignment was on October 13, 1990. The game was Ole Miss vs Georgia in Athens. I was the TV liaison that day. I had a long way to go.
I was excited beyond belief when Bobby Gaston called me to do this game. There was some preparation on my part due to me never having done what I was being called on to do. The TV liaison, also known as the Red Hat, is the go between for the broadcast producer and the officials on the field. The commercials during the game are coordinated with the input from everyone.
As soon as the game got underway, I realized I was not ready for even this role. The external stimuli coming from every angle was intimidating and distracting. It took me many years to learn to manage the challenges of working games at this level.
Some Cool Facts
Numbers Speak For Themselves
Most fans have no idea when it comes to football officials, where they come from or what they do outside of football. Some feel officials come from the bowels of hell. Others think they just show up out of nowhere. You'll be surprised that the men in stripes are actually ordinary people that live amongst you.
It's an avocation
A sports official cannot survive on the money they earn from the games they call. The time required to officiate is immense. If you take the money they earn and spread it out over all the time one spends getting in shape, studying the rules, filling out reports, traveling to and from games and actually working the game, an official earns a little over minimum wage. They earn this knowing that they are subject to intense criticism and scrutiny. They do it for the love of the game.
What an experience
Officiating football in the Southeastern Conference provided me with unbelievable experiences. I've met Presidents, foreign dignitaries, movie stars, military heroes and other extraordinary people. I've travelled to places I would have never gone to if it were not for the game I was assigned. I have seen sights of nature along the way that are breathtaking and I have become friends with some of the most interesting people that have ever lived. I've been a very lucky man!