There is no one more reviled on a Saturday afternoon than the men in stripes.
While both football teams can hope for victory, there is nothing an official can do to gain the respect of the crowd; no matter what the result of the game, they will be booed, jeered and hated during the 60-minute contest. It's one of the toughest jobs in the nation.
Criticizing officials is commonplace and there is not a clear reward, so why would anyone want to become an official? Why do these men choose to give up 11 weekends each fall to get heckled and pelted with anything available? The answer is simple: a
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| Photos by DANA LINNANE/Daily ABOVE: Referee Tom Witvoet signals a touchdown during the Michigan vs. Northwestern game Nov. 6.
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For the officials, once they become part of the officiating fraternity, there is almost nothing better. For them, football becomes a part of their lives, not only on Saturdays but every day of the year.
"Years ago when I started refereeing, it was an avocation, now it's a science," says Tom Ransom, head linesman for Saturday's game against Ohio State. "It used to be that all you did was go out on Friday night and work a high school game and Saturday do a college game. Once the season was over, you didn't pick up the rulebook until about a month before the next season. Now, I don't think that there is a day that goes by during the year - 365 days, not even Christmas day - that we don't think about football officiating in some way because it is such a part of our lives.
"And not necessarily the rule book either. The camaraderie of the friends that we have made over the years, the friendships, the fellowships, the communications that we have with each other and people that have come and gone are such a big part of our lives."
LEFT: Officials set the chains on the sideline for a first down during the Michigan vs. Northwestern game Nov. 6.
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The Making of Game DAy |
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11-18-99
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