NFHS 2020,21 POE's

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Why was the "bird dog" signal in the NBC (boys'/girls' H.S. and men's college) Officials Manual in the first place?

Until the either the late 1970s (or early 1980s; for reasons of which only BillyMac knows, I will not have access to The Attic until mid-June so any dates that I list are from the deep recesses of my mind, but I am betting on the late 1970s when the NBC split into the NFHS and NCAA Men's Rules Committees.) the NBC Rules required the Fouler to raise his/her hand an arm's length above his/her shoulder so that everyone present would know who had committed the Foul. To facilitate this Player procedure, the Official upon judging that a PF had been committed, would simultaneously sound his/her whistle, give the Stop Clock Signal, move toward the Fouler while pointing toward the Fouler's hip, and announcing the Color and Number of the Fouler.

Failure of the Fouler to raise his arm/hand was as TF for Unsportsmanlike Conduct. For the last few or so years that the Arm/Hand Raising Rule was finally removed from the Rules it was a TF for Unsportsmanlike Conduct to raise both Arms/Hands because, while the Rules had not explicitly prohibited the raising of both arms/hands Players were starting to raise both to show displeasure in the Officials Call.

And we know that the NFHS Officials Manual still requires a "bird dog" in the vast majority of PFs. If my memory serves me correct, the NCAA Women's Rules Committee (Women's CCA Manual) eliminated the "bird dog" before the NCAA Men's Rules Committee (Men's CCA Manual) did sometime in the late 1980s (or early 1990s; I am betting on the early 1980s.).

And I admit that when the Women's CCA Manual eliminated I still "bird dogged" in NFHS games while not "bird dogging" in NCAA Women's games, but the time I also started officiated NCAA Men's Div. III jr. varsity and NJCAA Men's games in the early 1990s I stopped "bird dogging" in all of my games at all levels, meaning, like the late Lou Costello: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXMHaYoc9J8

So ends today's history lesson.

MTD, Sr.