What do the letters on the back of an official’s shirt stand for?

In FBS and FCS college football, there are eight officials on the field at any given time. Some conferences will send an alternate, just in case. 

The Southeastern Conference used to have the alternate stay on the sideline, moving up and down the field with the line of scrimmage. While doing this, he would also operate the game clock. However, the game clock is now operated from the press box by a staff member of the home team’s athletic department.

Here are the positions and a brief description of where their initial position is prior to the snap on a scrimmage play:

R – Referee     The referee wears a white hat and stands in the offensive back field on the throwing arm side of the quarterback

C – Center Judge    The Center Judge mirrors the referee in the offensive backfield

U – Umpire   The umpire is on the defensive side of the ball and stands slightly behind the linebackers

H – Head Line Judge   The Head Line Judges stands on the sideline, straddling the line of scrimmage

L – Line Judge    The Line Judge takes the same position opposite the H

S – Side Judge    The Side Judge is on the same side of the field as the H. His iinitial position is approximately 18 yeards down field from the line of scrimmage

F – Field Judge    The Field Judge mirrors the position of the S on the opposite side line

B – Back Judge    The Back Judge is in the middle of the field on the defensive side of the ball approximately 20 yards from the line of scrimmage

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