For Love of the Game Former Football Standouts Have Found a New Role to Keep Them in the Game
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? NCAA Division II Football Championship s o t o h P A A C N / n o s r e v l a H t n a r G 0 1 0 2 © For love of the game Former football standouts have found a new role to keep them in the game By Paul Falewicz But you might not have realized that some of cial for a Division II game in their area. All of them those officials are former Division II college football have a different story of how they became an offi - veryone who has ever been to an NCAA student-athletes who have changed careers and are cial, but all of them share one thing; a passion for Division II collegiate football game has dis - still very active in the game today. Some of them the game. Eagreed with the officials at some point dur - loved the game so much that they just wanted to Most of them never thought they would eventu - ing the game — either they thought the official was stay involved in the game and being an official ally become an official after they finished their play - unknowledgeable in the rules of football or that they allowed them to work full-time in their career and ing days. They started by playing youth football and just had it in for the team that they were supporting. spend their Saturday afternoon working as an offi - saw success at each level of football they progressed 66 NCAA.com WHERE ARE THEY NOW? NCAA Division II Football Championship through. When they completed their playing career in college, they figured football was in the past and they would never step foot on the field again. Former players thought they knew everything about football until they started to take the steps to becoming an official. “I never knew what it took to be a good official,” Robert Majors said. Majors was a four-year standout defensive back for Concord College (now Concord University) in Athens, West Virginia from 1988-92. He earned All-America status as well as all-conference acco - lades in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in his junior and senior years. He even played professionally in the Canadian Football League and saw a lot of things happen on the foot - ball fields across two countries. But officiating was something he never thought was for him. “I wished that I would have gotten into officiat - s c i t e l ing years ago because of the love for the game,” h t A Majors said. “You learn something new every day, e n y h R and you have the best seat in the house.” - r o i n Majors also joked that he might “have been eject - e L f o ed from every game if I played now.” y s e t Officials are not made overnight and require a lot r u o c of training before they are able to officiate in a game. o t o h Most officials start out at the high school level, pay - P ing their dues and starting to develop relationships Thomas Hand played linebacker at Lenior-Rhyne prior to becoming a football official. with officiating supervisors and other officials in their area to earn their shot at the next level. Most of The first two years of assignments with the head referee. He is proud that a head coach has them start their college officiating career at the league were hit and miss, as he was a substitute for never approached the middle of the field during a Division III level as they continue to craft their abil - officials who were not able to make the game. He game to argue with the head referee, and makes sure ities before they are elevated to the Division II arena. Ed McConnell was an undersized defensive tack - “Officiating has thickened my skin,” Thomas said of his experi - le when he arrived at Southern State College (now known as Southern Arkansas University) in 1974. ence. “It has taught me to stay calm and relaxed in stressful sit - He was a mere 195 pounds and overmatched by bigger and stronger players already established on uations either on or off the football field. I very rarely get upset the team when he arrived on campus for his fresh - man year. But he was determined to overcome his at anything and it has made me a better human being.” size and earn his opportunity to play on the team. When a junior college transfer quit the team, he — David Thomas seized the opportunity and played for the team the next four years. He grew to become 225 pounds in his final season in helping anchor the defensive line. filled in whenever called upon, waiting for his that his sideline knows exactly what is occurring at After McConnell graduated from college, he chance when he was finally placed on a crew perma - all times. wanted to continue to be involved in the game of nently. He has been with that same crew ever since “I have to be ready for any question from the football, but was unsure how he could stay as a line judge and is enjoying every minute of it. coaches and any situation to ensure that the game is involved. In the mid-1980s at the persistence of his “It is more than the money why I officiate,” called correctly,” McConnell said. father, he decided to become a high school official McConnell said. “I enjoy the game very much, and McConnell chose to be a line judge as most in Texas. After a couple of years of working on his this was the way to stay involved.” things happen on the sidelines. He is responsible for craft at that level, he moved up to the Division II His duties as a line judge include controlling the watching the offensive and defensive lines to ensure level with the Gulf South Conference. sideline and keeping the coaches away from the that neither of them moves across the line of scrim - 68 NCAA.com WHERE ARE THEY NOW? NCAA Division II Football Championship mage prior to the snap of the ball. Line judges also ing up the college ranks.” assist with holding calls, out of bounds call and David Thomas played several positions for making sure that the punting team does not go Concord College (now Concord University) from downfield too early on punts. 1986-90. He sat out two seasons in the middle of His role as an official over the years also has his playing career to work on his grades and ensure changed the way he watches football games on tele - that he would be fully eligible to play for the foot - vision or in person. He now pays attention to the ball team. He played on the offensive line his junior officials rather than the play that is going on. He and senior season after playing some safety and line - views the game differently and is focusing on fellow backer in his first year in the program. officials to see what the call might be. When Thomas was playing in a game against McConnell, who also has officiated games in the West Liberty, he asked one of the officials how newly formed Great American Conference, is hop - much they made for being an official. He was ing to continue officiating for years to come and amazed at the amount they received for the game, still has the dream to be one of the officials in the and thought it would be easy money for him to go NCAA Division II Football Championship game. to a game and be an official. It was a rude awaken - His crew has been on the cusp of being chosen as ing for him, as well, to realize all of the training and the championship game officiating crew and might work that goes into becoming an official at the col - have been there in 2010 if Gulf South Conference legiate level. member Delta State had not advanced to the game. “I thought it was a lot of money to officiate the Some former players moved on to become part of game,” Thomas said. “And I thought that they were a coaching staff to stay in the game but realized that local guys who just rolled out of bed and showed up coaches put in a lot of time to prepare the team each for the game.” week. However, they wanted to stay involved, and He got his start in local recreational leagues and becoming a college official was a logical way to stay junior varsity high school games in his area. He had involved without the same weekly grind of becom - worked a lot of hours for various companies after ing a coach. graduating from college before he finally got a job Thomas Hand was another former Division II with some flexibility that allowed him to move up student-athlete who decided to make the change to to the Division III level. He was an official in the officiating. He played linebacker at Lenoir-Rhyne s Old Dominion Athletic Conference for five years g g a from 1996-2000. After graduating, he moved into k before moving up to the WVIAC this past season. S d coaching at the high school level. But job commit - d “Officiating has thickened my skin,” Thomas o T f o ments changed, and he was not able to devote the said of his experience.