How hard is it to be a college football referee? Let’s see how smart you are.
Officials are often the target of frustration for fans, especially after questionable or missed calls. But they go unnoticed when they make the right decision, which happens the vast majority of the time.
To give you an idea of the types of statements officials need to know and issue immediately, we’ll have you take a real Ref Quiz.
Earlier this summer, I sat at the Mountain West/Conference USA official clinic outside 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. It also included a multiple choice quiz for the referees, with questions about various in-game situations. Other conferences hold similar clinics.
“The test was built as a well-rounded test of the rule book to make sure they spent time on it to have a good working knowledge of it,” Defee said. “They have to get through it or they won’t get a schedule.”
A passing grade is 70 percent and team head referees are expected to score higher. All core Mountain West and CUSA officials passed the law this year, Defee said, but a few development officials did not.
I was humiliated with a score of 48 percent when I took the quiz in the clinic, so you won’t encounter me on the field. The original quiz consisted of 27 questions, but we reduced it to 15. We also clarified some of the language to make the game situations easier to understand. Let’s see if you are smart enough to become a football official.
(Note: Readers using our app on an Android device may need to use two fingers to scroll through the quiz. Still can’t receive the survey? Try this direct link.)
(Photo: Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
