SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOOTBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION - THE WEEKLY BULL – September 30, 2026
Meeting This Week – We will all be meeting at Mira Mesa High School at 7:00 pm. Crew chiefs and instructors will meet at 6:00 pm. Agenda will be: The Bull; Sharing of Interesting Plays; Calibration; and Instructional video.
From the Assignor -The last 2 weeks will be very busy (10/22-23 and 10/29-30). Please make sure your Arbiter Calendar is up to date and you're available Thursdays and Fridays during those weeks. Accept your games as soon as they are assigned.
Please Check Your Attendance – I think we’re doing very well overall. Make sure your clinics get recorded on the attendance sheet. You need to make nine (9) meetings which include the Banquet, Position/Flag Football Clinics and In-Class Meetings.
Evaluations – All crews should have received their evaluations from the crew chiefs. Remember these are mid-season evaluations that should point out areas for improvement as individuals and as crew members. Please keep up with your evaluations!
Personal Foul vs UNS – Personal fouls can be found on page 75 rule 9-4. These are contact fouls involving illegal contact. Unsportsmanlike fouls can be found on page 77 rule 9-5. These fouls are non-contact Unsportsmanlike acts. Ejection for a personal foul can only occur if the personal foul is flagrant. Two unsportsmanlike fouls results in disqualification. We’ve had two instances where referees have incorrectly disqualified a player for two fouls that were reported as unsportsmanlike, but they were personal fouls and the ejection had to be rescinded. These are gross errors that need not happen. Opponents are also in their legal away/white jerseys. 15-Yd penalty for UNS on the head coach to start the game and reported to the CIF and the home school administration. Please follow through with this rule as I’m seeing some illegal jerseys being worn on film. If you are notified by me that CIF has approved, then no problem.
Roughing the Passer and Intentional Grounding – We are seeing an opportunity in our association for more consistency in properly applying these rules. We have set up a group of referees to draft a document that can be added to our mechanics manual which will provide categories and descriptions which will help us put the action into the correct “bucket” if you will. For DPI we have grab and restrict, early contact, playing through the back, cut off. We need categories to help us with consistency in calling RPS and ING.
California State Mercy Rule – “At the conclusion of the third quarter or any point thereafter, if there is a point differential of 35 or more points, a running clock shall be instituted for the remainder of the game regardless of the score. The game clock should stop only for a score, a free kick following a fair catch or awarded fair catch, a charged team timeout, a coach-referee conference or an official’s timeout. This bylaw applies to all levels of play.” So, when do we wind the clock after a stoppage? We should always wind on the ready for play. So, after a time out, or after the score/PAT, we wind the clock on the ready for play.
Announcer Doing Play-By-Play – A referee had to request, multiple times, that the announcer not do play-by-play. In the National Standards for game announcers it is very clearly stated that…”Announcers shall understand that their role is to provide pertinent information in a timely manner and to do so professionally and not attempt to be bigger than the game or event by doing play-by-play or by providing commentary in an effort to entertain or to draw attention to himself or herself.”
Judging Forward Progress - It has been said by officials far beyond my pay grade that one of the first things many head coaches assess is an official’s ability to judge progress. The head coach knows a few times in each game it will be critically important. It is a skill we must strive to be exceptional at, and our movements on the field should show it. In a similar way, an Umpire’s care and custody of spotting the ball should be equally important. Our mannerisms and positioning in spotting the ball on the field will portray and show how serious we take this responsibility. Have pride in your accuracy as a crew!
4th Down Incomplete Pass – When this happens, the ball should be placed back at the original dead ball spot and the chains should be reset to the other side of the ball, properly marking, the now, front of the ball for the new series going the other way. I know, it’s a little thing, but little things add up to big things.
Communication with Coaches – This continues to be the biggest complaint from coaches…” The crew wouldn’t communicate with us!” Each week you must commit to communicating with your head coach. Can you give him some helpful information like the remaining number of timeouts, that the other team is “milking the clock” and going to take a time out, adjustments that need to be made to formations, etc. Be helpful so that when you bring “bad news” you have a bit of a history with the coach, and it just might help!
The Pylons – The pylons are placed at the intersection of the goal line and sideline, plus the end line and the sideline. When the pylons are properly placed, and the ball touches a pylon, it is out of bounds behind the goal line. So a free kick is bounding, and it hits the pylon, it is a touchback…not a kick out of bounds. If a runner in possession of the ball hits the pylon with the ball, it is a touchdown.
Board Elections –The primary election will be done electronically and conducted by our Secretary, Ed Zapolski. You can expect the voting to be conducted after our meeting on 10/14 where all certified members will hear from all the candidates in a brief meeting in the Lower Library...standing room only so get there on time! The voting will be offered to all certified members, not 1st and 2nd year probationary members.
Service Anniversaries – Please contact Rick Christensen if you have earned a service award: 1977 (50 years), 1987 (40 years), 1997 (30 years), and 2007 (20 years).
Cancer Awareness Month – Remember, pink whistles are the only allowable changes to our uniform in recognition of this important event. Bob Hood will be visiting the 1st and 2nd year classes to hand them out to our newer officials. Bob also has a good Fox 40 pink whistle (rubber tipped) for sale as well.
Game Check Weekend Results! - They will be announced at this Wednesday’s meeting. Good luck everyone. Also, it is still not too late to make a contribution as a crew or as an individual.
The 23rd annual SDCFOA Golf Tournament – This golf “adventure” benefits the SD Youth Football Fund and will take place on November 4th at the beautiful Admiral Baker Golf Course. Tee time is 11:30am and the event is open to all football officials/guests and all skill levels. Entry fee is $150 for all of the benefits or $125 for just golf. Space is limited, so please go to www.sdyouthfootballfund.org and click on “Fundraisers” ASAP to sign up. Singles are welcome…we’ll make sure you get paired-up. We can also use donations for the 19th hole raffle. Please contact Mike Downing, Mike Gunzelman, or Ed Blick if you have questions.
