Changing Jerseys During Game

[Kajun Ref N Texas]

I'm a basketball ref who doesn't call football.

Can any of you tell me whether changing jerseys in a Texas high school football game (NCAA rules apply) is against the rules and if so, please site the rule.

Situation: Defensive End #99 occasionally plays O-line in certain packages. Coaches change his jersey to #69 on these occasions. For two weeks, this was allowed by the crews, the next week it was not. Please help with a rule site.

Thanks

[TXMike]

It is kind of strange...why not just wear 69 all the time? You can be a DE with 69.

But...unless you judge they were changing the jersey to deceive, it is legal.

What game was this?

[Kajun Ref N Texas]

Originally Posted by TXMike

It is kind of strange...why not just wear 69 all the time? You can be a DE with 69.

But...unless you judge they were changing the jersey to deceive, it is legal.

What game was this?

Thanks TxMike

Just found 1-4-2-e

"Numbers shall not be changed during the game to deceive opponents"

I guess the issue now becomes whether wearing one number on the D-Line and a different number on the O-Line is designed "to decieve opponents"

You have hit on the easy answer, but the reality is this D-lineman has been #99 for most of his career, and only plays a couple of downs on offense. The bottom line is that he doesn't want to be 69 on the D-line.

The team is Frisco Wakeland.

[TXMike]

If the coach came to me in the pregame and said he has a player who will wear 99 on defense and 69 on offense and that nobody else would wear 69 or 99, I would never penalize them for attempting to deceive with the jersey number change. Definitely something to get ironed out in the pregame though.

[jjrye22]

TXMike hit the nail on the head.
I've had a few games where a team was short of OLiners and har to move a DLine or TE into the OLine numbers, but they were always 1 change, not back and forth.
Still, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with swapping back and forth like described.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by Kajun Ref N Texas

Situation: Defensive End #99 occasionally plays O-line in certain packages. Coaches change his jersey to #69 on these occasions. For two weeks, this was allowed by the crews, the next week it was not. Please help with a rule cite.

CANADIAN RULING:

There is nothing to prevent a player from changing shirts or numbers. It cannot be done, however, to circumvent the recognition of an ejected player.