Football Officials' Whistles

[Canned Heat]

I had the pleasure of attending a clinic that Bill Carollo and Butch Hannah put together. Being an umpire at the time, he (BH) had some great pointers and insight and the first thing he mentioned was that the ump should always have a finger whistle due to being bumped, run-over, etc.. and having the whistle in your mouth may cost you several inadvertants over the course of a season. I still used a lanyard, but his pointers stick with me even now as a crew chief.

The wedding ring (or lack thereof) is odd. I've seen rings on nearly every NFL/NCAA ref I've come across.