2021 UIL Exceptions

[dammitbobby]

It will always and forever be a problem until coaches are removed from the assignment process.  Maybe maintain a way for them to scratch, but they should absolutely not be selecting individuals and/or whole crews, and maybe not even chapters.

Unless there is some sordid conspiracy that gets brought to light that materially affects the integrity of the game, it will never happen though.  I've had a LOT of discussions with various personnel, on both the officiating and coaching/staff side, and here's how I think this could be done:

UIL has responsibility for picking chapters for certain games (probably area or quarters and above, based on availability and location of the mutually-agreed upon site.)

UIL assigns chapters for particular games, period.  If a coach wants to scratch the assigned crew, fine, they get one entire crew scratch (not person) per round, 2 per post-season - but it is assignor's choice, based on chapter methodology for selection, not coaches' choice, for the second crew.  (This would minimize the possibility of a 'buddy-buddy relationship between a coach and crew, since the other coach could request different officials.) Coaches can appeal a chapter assignment only if both coaches are in agreement, and UIL is absolutely not obligated to make a new selection (depending on the arguments of the coaches as to why that particular chapter shouldn't call their game.)

Each chapter is responsible for having a published prioritization/qualification system to determine what crew, or individual personnel, if the chapter doesn't use crews), are qualified for postseason assignments. This will help reduce the perennial problem of internal gritching about who did/did not get certain games inside the chapter - you want those games, get qualified for them. (not a perfect solution, but better than current, IMO)

And here's the real pickle that gets everyone worked up every year:  championship games.

For state championship games, UIL will publish a schedule at the beginning of the year, based on rotations, that assign a particular chapter to a particular championship game.  I have heard the argument that 'we just don't know if Chapter X or Chapter Y has enough quality officials to officiate a championship game, so it should always go to a major metro chapter' and it is arrogant and ludicrous.  EVERY chapter in the state is capable of producing a championship-quality crew.  Every single one, not just major metro areas.  Yes, there are more chapters than championship games - every so often, you're the odd man out.  This may not be a perfect system, but it as hell is better than what is in place now.  And no, it doesn't eliminate the internal politicking and jockeying for post season assignments, but having those criteria established at the chapter level, will help with that.  At least it minimizes the (VALID) complaints about chapters being completely overlooked based on incorrect, ignorant assumptions about smaller, rural chapters.

//steps off soapbox, carry on//

[JasonTX]

For state championship games, UIL will publish a schedule at the beginning of the year, based on rotations, that assign a particular chapter to a particular championship game.  I have heard the argument that 'we just don't know if Chapter X or Chapter Y has enough quality officials to officiate a championship game, so it should always go to a major metro chapter' and it is arrogant and ludicrous.  EVERY chapter in the state is capable of producing a championship-quality crew.
//steps off soapbox, carry on//

Every chapter, I suspect has that one crew that they think is the #1 crew.  I would expect that each one of those crews could equally officiate any level of championship game.

[dammitbobby]

100% agree

[Legacy Zebra]

It would be nice to have an objective evaluation process to determine assignments, but that's just not possible in Texas high school football right now. Coaches obviously have no idea how to truly evaluate an official or crew. It's not their fault, they have a job to do too. But at the end of the day they can't grade our mechanics, they don't know the rules, and most of them tend to be ball watchers so they don't see what 60-70% of the crew is watching. The other side of that coin is that most (all?) chapters don't have the resources to adequately evaluate all of their crews. This isn't college ball where a coordinator has graders to look at film every week. Not to mention all the games that never get film back. How many games get honestly graded across the state every week? I mean actually graded, not just the crew looking through the film and talking about a few plays. I would guess very very few.  So you get crews that are ok at best calling big games because they've been calling those games for years and people just assume that they are a good crew. And you also get really good crews stuck doing off the radar games because nobody has every seen them work.

Until there is a true evaluation process, you're stuck with assigners making their best guesses based on test scores, experience, meeting discussions, and word of mouth. But agree with others here that coaches should have absolutely no say in the process.

[JasonTX]

It would be nice to have an objective evaluation process to determine assignments, but that's just not possible in Texas high school football right now. Coaches obviously have no idea how to truly evaluate an official or crew. It's not their fault, they have a job to do too. But at the end of the day they can't grade our mechanics, they don't know the rules, and most of them tend to be ball watchers so they don't see what 60-70% of the crew is watching. The other side of that coin is that most (all?) chapters don't have the resources to adequately evaluate all of their crews. This isn't college ball where a coordinator has graders to look at film every week. Not to mention all the games that never get film back. How many games get honestly graded across the state every week? I mean actually graded, not just the crew looking through the film and talking about a few plays. I would guess very very few.  So you get crews that are ok at best calling big games because they've been calling those games for years and people just assume that they are a good crew. And you also get really good crews stuck doing off the radar games because nobody has every seen them work.

Until there is a true evaluation process, you're stuck with assigners making their best guesses based on test scores, experience, meeting discussions, and word of mouth. But agree with others here that coaches should have absolutely no say in the process.

Being a small chapter.... 16 games max on a Friday.  We have a film evaluation committee so we do watch every game, but I expect we are the exception.  I used to watch them all by myself over about 3 or 4 days.... Now that we formed a committee it took some load off and now we can be more thorough.  We mainly done it so we could catalog each Foul and show which ones were CC, IC, etc.  We haven't turned it into a true ranking system but the good crews do stand out.  There would be no way that a chapter that works 100 games a week could do that.  It's an exhausting process.

[FatElvis]

And therein lies the problem. No one in the officiating community should care one bit about what coaches think or like. They have their job to do - let ‘em do it. I won’t bother them, or pretend to know anything about coaching. Likewise, leave us alone, and don’t pretend to know anything about officiating - because even the most successful coaches know next to nothing about officiating.
If you think that Jim Tunney, Tommy Bell, Red Cashion, Jerry Markbreit, Ed Hochuli, Tony Corrente, Terry McCauley, Carl Cheffers, Shawn Hochuli, Land Clark, John Hussey, Scott Novak, Brad Rogers aren’t/weren’t rule book ‘nerds,’ you are completely out of touch with reality. These guys know/knew rules - the language, the intent, the philosophy, and application - backward and forward.
And these are just Referees. The guys working the other positions are just as strong on rules. Yes, they have to be. But, they WANT to be, too.  How do I know, you ask? I shared hotel rooms and worked on the field with no less than a dozen current NFL folks over the years (four of those noted above). And I was in clinics with the rest (some were guest speakers, many were clinicians, and others were fellow staff.  We talked a lot about rules and officiating. Hardly ever talked about what Stoops / Spurrier / Erickson / Harbaugh, et al, thought or liked.

I have observed crews at state championship games, and have had to shake my head wondering how in the heck some of those guys got there. Many are excellent. But far too many are an embarrassment.
Yeah, they got there. But that dang sure doesn’t mean they were doing something right. Getting ‘picked’ by a coach for an officiating assignment means absolutely nothing.

I think you misunderstood what I mean by “talking to coaches”. Some officials can actually communicate with coaches in a calming manner about what they saw and the reason the had a foul or didn’t have one. The answer isn’t always to just scream at them and lose your mind and have a “my way or the highway” mentality. That’s why some guys get “picked” for big games in the regular season and in the playoffs. I know many of the officials you name dropped about being rule book “nerds”. Yes they know the rules very well! But what sets them apart is they know how to enforce them and use judgment in big games and in blowouts They don’t just poop their pants in big moments.

[ElvisLives]

I think you misunderstood what I mean by “talking to coaches”. Some officials can actually communicate with coaches in a calming manner about what they saw and the reason the had a foul or didn’t have one. The answer isn’t always to just scream at them and lose your mind and have a “my way or the highway” mentality. That’s why some guys get “picked” for big games in the regular season and in the playoffs. I know many of the officials you name dropped about being rule book “nerds”. Yes they know the rules very well! But what sets them apart is they know how to enforce them and use judgment in big games and in blowouts They don’t just poop their pants in big moments.

Nope. Understood perfectly. Wear the shoes that fit.

[Official_21]

From a clock operator perspective, I usually like to get to the stadium at least an hour and a half to two hours before kickoff, although a majority of the time, when I got to the stadium two hours before, none of the crew would be there, as I was early.

Once the crew chief and/or back judge get there, I will have a pre-game chat, then do the following, in order:
1. Go up to the press box and check the game/play clock (I will check both if the other clock operator is not there, if I know how to operate the clock)
2. Report any problems to the crew chief before kickoff, so the problem can be resolved or arrange for alternate timing

For me, as a clock operator, getting there early gives me a chance to get all the pre-game things that we need to do done.