Four Minute Warning?
 

In my game on Friday night, our clock operator never showed up. I made the decision to just keep the clock on the field myself (I was the R). I kept the coaches abreast of the clock situation during breaks in play and time outs. With four minutes remaining in the half, I stopped the clock and gave a four-minute warning.

After I got home and spoke to one of the veteran officials about the game, he told me that I didn't need to give a four-minute warning. When I looked in our mechanics manual, there was something that discussed the clock operator keeping the time on the field. It stated that inside of five minutes, the clock operator should notify the R and he should then float between sidelines keeping the benches notified of time remaining.

My question is - does anyone know of a mechanic of giving a four-minute warning when no stadium clock is being used? And also, is there a mechanic if there is no clock operator and the R is keeping the time?

If there is no field clock, timing usually falls on the LJ in any game with 4 or more officials. In a 3 man game it is usually the U. Your organization could handle it differently though. so you should check with them.

I think that the NFHS rule book states that a 4 minute warning is to be given in the event of no working field clock. This is only to be an officials timeout, rather than an actual timeout.

In our local leagues, where I have had to keep time on field (once every other year), I do it this way, in games with 12 minute quarters:

• Quick notification after first play ends under 9 minutes, verbalizing "9 minutes left"
• Quick notification after first play ends under 9 minutes, verbalizing "6 minutes left"
• Quick notification after first play ends under 9 minutes, verbalizing "3 minutes left"
• Quick notification after first play ends under 9 minutes, verbalizing "2 minutes left"
• Quick notification after first play ends under 9 minutes, verbalizing "1 minutes left"
• Quick notification after first play ends under 9 minutes, verbalizing "30 seconds left"

Ok, so which is it? :D This could be a fast game if you always pick one of the bottom ones.

Obviously with nobody to keep time on the sideline, you'd have nobody to hold up a 1 minute flag either. (Do they still have that one?)

Of course! That will never go away! LOL It's as Canadian as back bacon and maple syrup!

I've given the 4-minute warning before but I've never stopped the clock for it, (as the 2-min. warning is given in the NFL). Is it necessary to stop the clock? I see the 2-min. warning as simply an extra TO, which I do not give in Fed ball.

I kill the clock at 4, let both benches know from the middle of the field, and then get the clock rolling again.

Assuming NF--

It's not a mechanic, it's a RULE- 3-3-1.

At 4 mins left in each half you stop the clock, notify the captains and coaches and then wind it back up (if it's running). You did it right.

How do people officiate without reading a Rules Book? You have a "veteran" official who doesn't know the book. That's sad.

In his defense, he was referring to the five minute deal in our mechanics manual. I spoke with him last night though after I found the rule 3-3-1 reference and we discussed it, so we're good now.

We had this sit in a HS varsity game. It was a private school that had just moved to a different building, and therefore a different playing field. The field didn't have a clock before they moved there, and they got one donated. Unfortunately, they didn't check the dumb thing out before the first game. Of course, malfunctions galore. Since I was BJ that day, my R told me to let him know when it got to 4 minutes by blowing it dead, going in to inform him, and then he would wind her up again. He also asked me when it got to 3, 2, and 1 minutes, without stopping by just holding up the fingers, and he would yell it out to the wings who would pass it along to the coaches. Worked out great.

JR, you're kiddin' right? You guys don't still use that flag, do you? Didn't that go out with the penalty kazoos? LOL!