Where we left off:

Officiating.com: [My crew of rookies and I] did three high school games and a full junior high schedule. I was really, really stressed. About three-fourth's of the way through the season, my regular Umpire looks at me, he’s also a former army guy, and he says: “Alan, they aren’t going to shoot you. Have fun.”

[laughter]

Nemmers: Good advice.

Officiating.com: I can identify with that whole, uh, scared feeling.

Nemmers: I don’t know why they had me down as Referee. I don’t know if someone said “He’s a good rules man” or what. I was always a good rules guy, but good rules men don’t always make good officials.

In the Big Ten I never was a Referee. I was lucky because the Big Ten assigned Eastern Illinois and Western Illinois. Those are now I-AA programs. They worked me at Side Judge there, and I went into the Big Ten as a Side Judge.

Continued...