Be the Referee: Always Stay Registered
September 14, 2017
This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl relays a quick story of how a retired NFL official stepped in to give a pair of junior varsity teams a chance to play another game this season.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Always Stay Registered - Listen
As Thursday night of Labor Day weekend arrived, with a full slate of football games having long been scheduled, a late junior varsity game was added at the last minute.
The problem was that most officiating crews had already been assigned to other games months in advance.
That’s when one of Michigan’s most decorated officials, retired NFL and three-time Super Bowl official Dean Look, stepped up to help out. Dean, along with four other area officials, put together a crew for that night, so these two junior varsity teams could play.
Many officials from our state who have moved up the ladder to the college and professional ranks have kept their MHSAA registration current to help out on nights like this at the last minute.
Past editions
September 7: Other Football Rules Changes - Listen
August 31: Pop-Up Onside Kicks - Listen
August 24: Blindside Blocks - Listen
Be the Referee: Illegal Football Kick
October 22, 2020
This week, MHSAA officials coordinator Sam Davis presents a "You Make the Call" on the legality of a kicking scenario.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment - You Make the Call: Illegal Kick - Listen
Here’s a you-make-the-call situation today. It’s fourth down and a field goal is being attempted – but the holder muffs the snap. With the loose ball rolling around, the kicker swings his leg at it and boots it through the uprights. You make the call – is this legal?
There are only two ways a ball can be legally kicked for points on a play which starts with a snap from center. One is a place kick being held by another player – the other is the rarely seen drop kick.
Had the kicker picked up the ball, dropped it to the ground and kicked it on the bounce through the uprights, the result of the play would have been a field goal. In this instance, though, a 10-yard penalty is assessed from the line of scrimmage for illegal kicking, and the opposing team takes over from that spot.
Past editions
10/15: Toe the Line on Penalty Kicks - Listen
10/8: Disconcerting Acts - Listen
10/1: Ball Hits Soccer Referee - Listen
9/24: Clocking the Ball from the Shotgun - Listen