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Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/40054
BEHIND THE DESK
Handling officials comes with experience
by Barry Alvarez
Director of Athletics
We used to put together a “book’’ on Big Ten officials when I was the head coach. We’d even go so far as to have a scouting report on the referee, the umpire and other crew members before a game.
Every week, we took the head shots of the officials from the Big Ten manual and we’d show their pictures — along with their name and position -- on the overhead projector.
With each entry, we’d have comments: Will he talk to you? Can he be influenced? If he’s an umpire, how many holding penalties does he call? And when is he most likely to throw the flag?
It was like clockwork when a certain official was in the league. You knew damn well that he was going to call at least one holding penalty against the underdog team and it was always in the red zone.
In fact, it happened here my second year of coaching. He wiped out a touchdown run by Terrell Fletcher with a holding call against Joe Panos, who was blocking Iowa’s nose guard.
The bad news is that we lost the game, 10-6. The good news is that Iowa nose guard became my defensive coordinator and he’s now my head coach, Bret Bielema.
Recently, I told that story to a very attentive audience — about 300 Big Ten and MAC officials.
Bill Carollo, the supervisor of Big Ten officials, invited me to speak to the group and I shared my experiences through the eyes of a head coach in the conference for 16 seasons.
There was plenty to talk about, especially the growing pressure on coaches to win; making every game more important. A lot of guys are in tenuous positions and don’t have the luxury of job security.
We’re talking about people who are fighting for their jobs — fighting for their lives and families — and one bad call can cost them their livelihood. I was just trying to be honest and blunt with the officials.
I tried to put them in my shoes — as a former football coach while stressing the types of relationships I thought they should have with someone on the sidelines.
It was fun for me to address the officials and take some questions afterward.
I had some questions for them, too, especially about the new interpretation of blocking below the waist. Right now, I don’t feel confident that I know how they’re going to apply it consistently.
One of the new rule changes this season involves unsportsmanlike conduct. For instance, if a player is flagged for taunting before crossing the goal line, the touchdown will be nullified.
I like the rule. It adds some meat to the penalty and it sends a strong message to the players and the coaches that conduct like that is not needed in the game.
College football has done a good job of addressing this, whereas the NFL almost seems to encourage celebration and an individual separating himself from the team.
If there’s an issue during a game, a player who’s doing a lot of chirping — or even the potential for a problem — the officials immediately need to go to the head coach and let him handle it.
The last few years, Bret has really improved with the officials. He has been excellent. Earlier in his tenure, he wanted to question every call and there were times when he put them on the spot.
But he learned through experience; the most important teacher.