Quote:
Originally Posted by Ocala Mike
Nobody says pro football? Aren't all the officials (except for a handful) basically spot hires from college and high school coaching ranks or maybe even gym teachers and other assorted jocksniffers?
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A good friend of mine was an on field official in the NFL for 20 years. He now works for the NFL full-time off the field with a team that evaluates the performance of each official EVERY game.
To answer your question, no the officials are not spot hires. They pay their dues at lower levels usually starting in high school and then moving up to NCAA. To get to the NFL each official is scrutinized as though they were applying to the CIA. Their on-field and off-field performance must meet high standards. There are officials who get fired every year for shoddy on-field work.