Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 23, 1995 TAG: 9511220115
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E14 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: MIDLOTHIAN LENGTH: Medium
The men from the Central Virginia Football Officials Association mill around the locker room, limber up, check their gear, renew friendships, review rules and assignments, and trade yarns about zany plays and calls from 10 or 20 years ago.
It is 6 p.m. - 1 1/2 hours before kickoff on a stormy Friday night.
The field lights begin to flicker on.
The football officials association is a 215-man organization that serves 59 public and private high schools in the Richmond area.
Commissioner George Hamner, with the help of assistants Gerald Anders, Charlie Cloe and Clay McDevitt, also provides officials for the middle school, freshman and junior-varsity games and the youth-league programs that play on Saturdays.
At 7 p.m., a high school official's on-field chores begin. They are in charge the rest of the night.
The linesman talks to the chain crew (supplied by the home team), the ball boys, even the water girls who run into the huddle during timeouts.
Other officials check the field for potholes and wet spots and make sure the lines are correct.
The referee chats separately with each head coach. He gets the names of the game captains, discusses what kind of ball will be used (based on the weather) and receives tips about unusual formations or plays that might be used.
The band director is told that kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., sharp. That means the national anthem at 7:25 p.m.
Initiation into high school officiating does not happen overnight. It takes a long, patient ride from the dusty little fields on Saturdays to the more prestigious Friday night dates.
While officials come in all sizes and from all walks of life, they usually share a common characteristic at the top level of Group AAA - graying hair.
Still, the crew at Midlothian on a recent Friday night of referee Lawrence Wooten (28 years service), umpire Bo Jamison (10), linesman Mike Fugatt (10), line judge Dave Brown (18), back judge Lynn Taylor (18) and electric clock operator Mark Suchocki (two) has 86 years experience with the central Virginia association.
Wooten, a retired Virginia Power employee, is 61 years old but a long way from the rocking chair.
He works freshman games on Wednesdays, junior varsity games on Thursdays, varsity games on Fridays, and six youth games on Saturdays.
``I try and get into the Jacuzzi between sets,'' he says. ``Really, Sunday and Monday are the only days I have off.''
Veteran whistle-tooters, such as Wooten, can tell you the pros and cons of the profession. The pros are obvious - an extra income, the exhilaration, the friendships.
But Wooten didn't earn the nickname ``Wobbles'' by accident. A few years ago, he was caught in a pileup and suffered a serious knee injury, which required surgery and a year off.
``About the third or fourth quarter, I start running a little funny,'' he said. ``With my knee, I'm a great predictor of the weather.''
Then there was the time ``down country'' when a call or two he made didn't set well with the local supporters. Sheriff's deputies had to escort him and his crew off the field and guard their locker room.
``Some of the good ol' boys celebrate happy hour before the game, and sometimes they get a little out of hand,'' Wooten said good-naturedly.
Working Friday nights has another down side. Wooten's three sons played for Manchester High. He saw some of their games but missed others. One night he missed, one of his sons set a school record.
``You know how hindsight is,'' he said. ``Sometimes you look back on things and wish you had done something a little different.''
Wooten is a cub compared with some central Virginia officials. With 42 years service, the dean is Harrison Eacho, a retired lawyer who lives in King William.
Eacho's father, Harrison Sr., officiated before him. And his son, Steve, works games now - sometimes with his dad.
``Hardly anyone I know is in it for the money,'' Eacho said. ``What I like about it is that it allows me to stay around younger people ... and gives you a reason to stay halfway in shape.
``Makes you feel good to be out there, and keeping up with the young kids.''
by CNB