I'm sure the many refs out there have seen some stupid things during their time, but tonight I saw the dumbest thing I have ever seen in the 4 years of officiating flag football here at the University I goto.

I was referee tonight for a game between two frats. There is an illegal motion on the offense and my line judge throws a flag and continues to officiate. When the play ends he blows his wistles and comes over to tell me the penalty he has. I meet him about 3 yds from the side line and as he begins to tell me his penalty a fan steps off the sideline (we allow spectators to be on the teams sideline, provided they behave themselves) and looks down at the flag and goes "I wonder what it would be like to throw one of these." I begin shaking my head to indicate that he should not do that and halfway in disbelief that anyone would do something that stupid. However, he picks up my back judge's flag and throws it straight in the air. So I reach and throw my flag into the air. I charge the team captain with the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and we continue the game.

The rest of the team kept telling him to just go home, because if they got another UC penalty they would be out of the playoffs (they need a certain sportsmanship rating in order to move along, if they win).

Just thought I'd share. I welcome any other stories you guys might have out there.

I've had players come up to me and hand me my flag for a spot foul, thinking they were helping me. Oops!

bean bags
 

It Seems that my bean bag amazes players all the time. They stand in awe and questionable dumbfoundness over this white bean bag that has invaded the playing area.
"Sir, you dropped this!"
"thanks"

Good Old IM Flag football, welcome to the club!

Re: bean bags
 

The last year that I was a playing before becoming an official - so after 10 years of on field experience was the first time I noticed a bean bag.
Ok, the first couple of years was in Canada where they basically don't use them, and I was mostly a lineman and didn't see much more than the guys in front of me but...
In this instance I was playing LB (fairly new to the position), and near the sideline I saw a white bean-bag. Of course I thought it was a bit of tape someone had thrown away, and gave it a good kick to get it off the field... The ref was NOT impressed!

Now as a ref myself I've also had youth players try to give me my flag back as Im walking up to report the foul to the WH. Always surprises me!

James

Play last night in an IM flag football game:

QB takes snap, finds no one, starts to scramble, crosses NZ, pitches it forward. I drop my flag (I'm R), play continues. A pitches the ball at least 2 or 3 more times. One kid finally breaks into the open, but thinks a teammate's flag was pulled before he pitched him the ball (it was not, and no whistle had sounded; ball is still live). His teammates yell at him to go ahead and score......instead, he heaves the ball 30 yards back toward his own goal line, and it is intercepted by B and returned for a touchdown.

That ended up being the last play of the game because A was so in disbelief at what just happened, the whole team started cussing me, so I threw 'em all out and declared a forfeit (the score was already something like 34-12 anyway).

Most ridiculous play I've ever seen.

My favorite part of flag is when you have a long run and a flag on the play. While you are talking about the penalty, a player who is trying to help, brings you the pucks from the previous spot. Welcome to the world of guessing.

I know where BigWes68 is from, where are the rest of you flag football officials from? I run the IM program at Purdue. Just curious.

Re: bean bags
 

I have similar stuff happen wihen I have to throw my hat for the end of the run spot or when a second penalty occurs. Someone always seems to want to pick it up and hand it back to me. I'm at North Carolina State University, 4 years flag football, 4 years basketball.

CaptStevenM,

Tell David Parker that Sam Axley said hi. I know you had to learn to officiate on your own, Dave didn't teach you much. Just kidding. I know most of the staff at NC State well.

Are you going to any tournaments this year? There's one in Wilmington I think.

Nice to meet you.

We just had the state championship in Charlotte this past weekend. I went to Wilmington last year. I didn't get any bids at Charlotte but hopefully I can still goto Wilmington as an offical from State.

In your mechanics you don't have someone who is suppose to protect the falg when a penalty is called?

Snake eyes...flag football is usually done with 3 officials, sometimes 4 and on a bad night, 2. Officials are taught to cover the flag if possible. What I am talking about is the colored pucks we use to designate the line of scrimmage and neutral zone. We use an oragne disk or puck to desigante the line of scrimmage and a yellow disk one yard away to create the neutral zone. Players think they are helping by picking them up for you.

OHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhh, flag football. I thought you typed puck instead of flag on accident! lol. My apologies, never have done flag football and never heard of pucks either.

I do flag at Georgia Southern University. Luckily, we run four man crews most nights and have someone to cover the flag--thus we don't get paid nearly as much as other IM Flag officials get.

Hopefully you guys will be at Nationals and I'll be there with you. :) I just got back from Swamp Bowl in Gainesville, Florida. Quite a great officials staff there--at least five officials that officiated in New Orleans walked away this year without a bid--myself included. I will be going to the TIRSA Shootout this weekend, but I'm not holding my breath--four officials from Ohio State and we all know those guys normally do a hell of a job. All I have left besides TIRSA is the state tourney down here (second largest tournament in the country behind nationals). Hopefully I'll get one--it'd suck to get one in 03, but not get one in 04.

Was FJ during the women's final this weekend and threw a flag guard during a punt return. BJ covered (4 man) and I told my WH to bring the pucks with him. Told him flag guard, during the return, and as we started walking towards the spot of the foul my BJ turned and threw us the flag. We all got a good chuckle.

Hope you guys have a good season! We're just starting playoffs down here in gnat land!

[Edited by SouthGARef on Oct 27th, 2004 at 04:36 PM]

You know where I'm from?

Thought I did BigWes68....maybe not. So, where are you from?

Univ. of Tennessee -- is that where you thought?

I think one of the "funniest" things I have seen by a player is at a varsity game. Team A was flagged for a holding by the LJ negating a TD.. While he was walking in to report it to the WH the QB of team A walked up and tossed his falg about 8-10 yards closer to the goalline and then ran down the sideline to talk to his coach. The LJ was sharp enough to remember where he had thrown his flag. I was working with the LJ this past weekend and we were talking about that. He said he remembered something was not right but did not know till I mentioned it what actually happened.

A few years ago, we had a coach catch and throw our LJ's flag into the stadium. Our BJ thought it was such a good toss he gave him another flag to try to throw. As the coach was excusing himself of his coaching duties, he did retrieve the flag for our LJ. (Incidentally, it was the coach's last game of the season and he had already been notified he was fired. I guess he just wanted to go out in a memorable fashion.)

BigWes68...yes, I thought you were at my alma matre. didn't we talk last year about Jackie leaving. But then he didn't.

I'm actually getting to come down to the Notre Dame game in a week or so. Tell them to get Rocky Top fired up for me.

Just like Georgia Southern to have the money to use 4 person crews!

I miss my days working NIRSA flag games. Actually I think I miss the trips to New Orleans and Pensacola more. It is always a blast meeting officials from across the country and working to be the best you can be. I was lucky enough to be taught by the best (no, not you Sam), but Bradley Petty and was a 2 time All American. In 1998 I had WH on the Men's National Championship (Nunez CC destroyed somebody) and in '96 I was BJ on the Co-Rec championship.

Best of luck to all of you working regional and state tournaments.

Chris Clarke
JMU '99
Ohio U '00

Puh-leez child. We might work 4 person crews, but we do it for less than anybody else does out there. The going rate out here is $5.50 a game. Barely pays the cell phone bill, but I love it.

Reminds me of a funny story. My very first extramural tourney at Swamp Bowl my freshman season. I had run very little/no 3-man and they were going over the mechanic. When I met up with my crew--two guys from UF. I was chatting it up, and mentioned that I was kind of shaky on 3-man. They said they didn't run it much either, and I said "Oh, so you guys run 4 too". Next was the craziest thing I've ever heard--"No, we run 2-man a lot." Wowsa. Hard workin folks.

I was taught by some of the best as well. During my first two years, I had six All-Americans on campus to teach me the ropes. And our Director was on the rules committee. Talk about a brain-trust!!! You can't help but learn from guys that good.

We'll send another good squad to Pensacola (which I'm not going to--hense the good squad ;) ) and New Orleans. Hopefully I'll be there, cuz that's what we all strive for.

I'm actually out the door in about 20 minutes. Headed to the TIRSA shootout in Cookville, Tennessee. You guys keep 'em in bounds.

Where's the flag
 

My BJ threw a flag for block in the back near the visitors sideline. The play continued for another 25 yards. When we tried to find the flag to penalize from the AB1 rule; it was no where to be found. It has vanished, alians must have taken it.

Upon further review, it was discovered that an Asst Coach had picked it up, and was hiding it behind his back.

"Coach, please give the flag back to the BJ"
"If you don't have a flag, then you can't penalize us anymore"
"Coach, please give the flag back to the BJ"
"No flag, no penalties"
"Guess what coach; I have one. Now that's going to cost you 15 yards"

The only thing you learned from me Clarke was how to drink on Bourbon Street and chase female officials. We both were pretty good at the drinking but only moderate at the chasing part.

I wish we were able to pay our officials more. $6.35 an hour is not that good but better than some. We still do a few 2 man when staff son't show but normally, 3 man is the run of the day. We'll start 4 person next week as we get to the quarter finals of the tournament.

Good luck at the tournaments guys.

Re: Where's the flag
 

I always carry two flags, one for the player, one for the coach.

We usually run 4-man, 3-man if someone doesn't show up. I have, on occasion, had to run 2-man, but that isn't much fun. Once we get to the semifinals and championship, we go to a form of 5-man.

Pay down here isn't that great either; something like $5.50 per game.

How do you get into doing all these tournaments in other places? I've never heard anything about them.

I've been in city recreation for 4 years so I am a little out of the loop on NIRSA tourneys now, but ask your IM director directly. I can't believe UT isn't sending any officials to TIRSA. I would bet you have a team or two going.

Axe Man! Can you help him out some? I know you are still in the know on flag tourneys!

OCReferee

GWU here - we run 4 man crews, and always have problems with players picking up the flags and the discs. 90% of the time, they're just trying to help, 10% of the time, they're trying to show you up. (I love when I tell a kid not to move a flag, he bends down, picks it up, throws it, and then acts surprised when he gets a USC.)

As for NIRSA, haven't really done anything flag football wise (I doubt we're sending any teams to any national tournaments), but did work the NIRSA basketball regionals at U-Maryland last spring.

Ahhhhhh, I too miss the days of NIRSA...you guys should get the Arkansas folks to talk to your bosses. I think those guys are now getting close to $10/hr now. (Not that I got that...5.50/hr)

I Will Now Miss The Days of NIRSA...This past Tuesday I refereed my last intramural flag football game in college. Being a Senior, it's my last year; no more getting to call flag guarding.

I can tell you - my last games are this weekend, too. Flag guarding is one call with which I will be HAPPY to be finished!

Yes, flag guarding is a PITA to call. As is illegal contact. I also hate how every player out there seems to think that ANY time a player grabs a little bit of the shorts when pulling the flag, it's a hold. I always argue to my friends that calling flag is harder than calling tackle. Too many "judgement" calls out there.

We've got the GA State Tourney next weekend. Hopefully that won't be the last flag I do this year...