Laurie Jordan
Experience: 7 years certified, 6 on the field
Level: HS Certified Official (Crew had All-Varsity Schedule)
Associations: Board Position AOA (Athletic Officials Association), Secretary of Inter-Association Council of Athletic Officials (IACAO)
Dave Frey
Experience: 17 years
Level: Middle School, HS and Division III Centennial Conference
Associations: CFO (College Football Officials), NASO (National Association of Sports Officials), PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association)
What was the strangest or quirkiest play you've ever encountered, and how did you respond?
Laurie: Mine is actually not a play. I'm a back judge and I was working a local high school game not too long ago. But during the game, when I would hand the kicker the ball, he would look over and motion to the coach that they were short players. Then when I would count, I wouldn't give them the ball because there were too many. So this went on a couple of times, so I was thinking to myself 'What is going on here?'
Come to find out, when the young man would count, he would never include himself in the count! So he was always short one player and would always call to the coach. Well when I finally noticed it, I pulled him aside and said to him, 'You are number one.' He looked at me with wide eyes and said, 'Oh my gosh!' The light bulb went off - he must have been nervous.
Dave: One of my crew members got taken off our team to go call a game up in the Northern area of Pennsylvania. It was a really small school up in the mountains, and it was their high school's varsity game. Well, they only had about 21 kids on the one team and their starting center was actually a girl.
Well at halftime, they called her out of the locker room and crowned her Homecoming Queen. Then in the second half, one of the defensive players got hurt so she had to sub in for him and play defense. So my buddy comes back to me and says 'Dave, I had a case where this girl was playing offense, defense and fulfilling her Homecoming Queen duties all at the same time!'
On a close or controversial play, what steps does your officiating crew take to ensure you have made the correct call?
Dave: If there is any doubt on any play, we will stop the clock and assess what is taking place. The referee and umpire and the involved officials will conference, based on facts only, no conjecture. After the course of action is decided, we communicate a brief synopsis to each head coach through either the wing officials or the referee, depending on the complexity or sensitivity of the incident. We believe communication with head coaches is important and will work in a positive way to ensure good game management.
At the college level, we will get together and discuss the situation and the ramifications of each decision. It may involve calling another guy in, but we take our time to ensure the correct call is made. If you don't portray to the other coaches that you are taking the time to make sure the best decision will be made, you can kind of lose integrity with them.
Laurie: We first make eye contact if there is a problem. Then we will get together as a crew and discuss it. We make sure that we take our time and get everyone's input to ensure we hear what everyone saw. Then through a consensus, we decide what the right call is going to be. We live together as a team by the call and we die together as a team by the call. My crew has been together for five years, and so we are pretty good at reading each other's body language and knowing if they are unsure about a certain call.
What is the hardest call for you to make and why?
Dave: I think that from a referee's position, it's the fumble/incomplete pass argument. The ball comes out of the hands when contact is made and that is definitely the hardest to make because it happens simultaneously most of the time. Holding is also very tough because you need to make sure you get the good look and angle of the play. You have to discipline yourself to be in the right position and anticipate what will happen.
Laurie: Pass Interference because it is a large penalty. It can really turn the tides for a team and sometimes it's difficult to see who is actually the instigator and what really is happening. So that's a call that I always study very carefully to make sure that it is correct. It sounds like it should be obvious, but a lot of times it's not.
Have you ever had an intense encounter with an over-zealous coach or aggressive parent? If so, how was it handled?
Laurie: It was a parent after a freshman level high school game. The kid's team lost and the parents were not very happy. So I walked off of the field with my partner, and [the parent] shouted at me all the way to the parking lot. I walked around the fence to get to my car, and he kept hollering at me. I basically just ignored it and got into my car and drove off. It was obvious that no matter what I would've said or done, it wasn't going to change it. It was a little scary for me because I didn't know if he was going to hop the fence and come after me. Parents get very emotional about the games, and they forget its only high school. Sometimes the best thing to do is just to walk away.
Dave: For the most part, youth programs or middle schools have a tendency to have younger coaches who tend to be a little more volatile on the sidelines. When the coaches get out of line, you can't ignore them - especially when they are getting out of control. There is an officiating clinic I attend every year and they stress lowering your voice when a coach is yelling at you. The lower you talk, the quieter you talk. Your voice will help bring their tone down. You then listen to them, let them vent, and then explain why the situation is the way it is and explain the rule to them, the call that was made and what the official saw.
What advice would you give to an up-and-coming referee?
Dave: Make sure you know the rules. More than anything else, you have to have a very solid knowledge of the rulebook. Immerse yourself with the rules because you will never be at a loss when you have adequate rule knowledge. Good officials are constantly reading publications to continue to build upon the base of their rule knowledge. Also, know your positioning and where you should be on the field.
Laurie: If you are thinking about being an official, make sure you go to a class to learn about the mechanics of football officiating. You aren't going to learn every single rule the first season you officiate, but if you at least know the mechanics and you look like you know what you are doing and are confident in your signals, it goes a long way to having coaches trust you.
Another thing is to be sure to join a local association. The wealth of knowledge that's available is just incredible. The veteran officials tell stories of what has happened to them and how they handled it and just the overall nuances of the game.
If you could referee just one NFL game, which two teams would you want playing and why?
Laurie: If it would be this season, then I would want to see the Bears and the Vikings. I would want to see the Bears because I really like Charles Tillman, and I worked his benefit and he was just a really nice guy. I'd like to actually be on the field with him because I'm sure he's not that nice when he's in the heat of the moment.
I'd like to see the Vikings because being a back judge, I'd like a quarterback that passes a lot so Brett Favre would be pretty exciting.
Dave: I think the Cowboys and the Redskins. It always seems to be a highly anticipated game and it has the heritage. I think it would be a thrill to officiate that game.
