How hard is it to be a college football referee? Let’s see how smart you are.
Officials are often the target of fan frustration, especially after questionable or missed calls. But they go unnoticed when they make the right call, which happens the vast majority of the time.
To give you an idea of the types of statements officials need to know and make immediately, you can take a real referee quiz.
Earlier this summer, I attended the Mountain West/Conference USA refereeing clinic outside of Dallas, led by former Big 12 referee Mike Defee, the coordinator of officials for both conferences. The clinic focused on standards, new rules, training tips and game logistics. There was also a multiple-choice quiz for the officials, with questions about various situations in the game. Other conferences hold similar clinics.
“The test is meant to be a comprehensive test of the rulebook to make sure they’ve put in the time to have a good working knowledge of it,” Defee said. “They have to pass or they don’t get a schedule.”
A passing grade is 70 percent, and crew head referees are expected to score higher. All Mountain West and CUSA core officials passed this year, Defee said, but a few development officials did not.
I myself was honored with a 48 percent score when I took the quiz at the clinic, so you won’t see me on the field. The original quiz was 27 questions, but we’ve narrowed it down to 15. We’ve also clarified some of the language to make the game situations easier to understand. Let’s see if you’re smart enough to be a college football official.
(Please note: Readers using our app on an Android device may need to use two fingers to scroll through the quiz. Still can’t open the survey? Try this direct link.)
(Photo: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
