Stripes—Life as a Zebra

As coaches, I\'m sure all of you know that Division One and NFL games are officiated by seven-man crews, consisting of the referee, umpire, head linesman, line judge, field judge, side judge and the back judge. But are you completely aware of the mechanics of each position? And do you know about the changes that have taken place within the past few years at each position? Furthermore, how familiar are you with the preparation each official puts forth, both individually and as a crew, before the season and prior to each game? The purpose of this series of articles - all written by Division I-A officials - is to educate and acquaint the reader more thoroughly about the mechanics, changes and issues associated with officiating each position on the field. All of the articles will be authored by Big 12 Conference officials, thus it is understood that this series acknowledges the nuances from