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: Wrestling Technology

By Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials

January 24, 2024

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 – Wrestling Technology - Listen

You see the use of technology in football quite frequently. A quarterback throws an incomplete pass on third down and when he comes to the sidelines, coaches are able to show him on a tablet or TV screen what went wrong.

But can that same technology be used in wrestling? It can.

Current National Federation playing rules allow coaches in the wrestler’s corner to use video or still photographs to instruct wrestlers during any timeout or dead clock situations. Just like in the football example, a wrestler could view footage from earlier in their match during a timeout and use that information going forward. However, that video cannot be used to dispute a call.

One thing coaches can’t do is transmit audio to a wrestler through an earpiece.

Previous Editions

Jan. 9: 3 Seconds - Listen
Dec. 19: Unsuspecting Hockey Hits - Listen
Dec. 12: No More One-And-Ones - Listen
Nov. 21: Football Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 14: Volleyball Unplayable Areas - Listen
Nov. 7: Pass/Kick Off Crossbar - Listen
Oct. 31: Cross Country Interference - Listen
Oct. 24: Soccer Overtime - Listen
Oct. 17: Tennis Spin - Listen
Oct. 10: Blocked Kick - Listen
Oct. 3: Volleyball Double & Lift - Listen
Sept. 26: Registration Process - Listen
Sept. 20: Animal Interference - Listen
Sept. 13: Feet Rule on Soccer Throw-In - Listen
Sept. 6: Volleyball Jewelry - Listen
Aug. 30: Football Rules Similarities - Listen
Aug. 23: Football Rules Differences - Listen