Administrator during the week, SEC official by weekend
Vines has been official in country's best conference for 10 years
BY LISA NEWELL Gulf Breeze News lisa@gulfbreezenews.com

Lisa Newell/Gulf Breeze News Jay Vines has been a head linesman in the Southeastern Conference for 10 years.

Good call, or bad call? Most SEC football fans have an opinion about the decisions made on the field, but few know the officials themselves. Here in Gulf Breeze, we have the chance to get to know one of the men who keep order in those games.

Jay Vines recently moved to the area from Birmingham, Ala. to continue his 20-year affiliation with Dr. James Andrews.

By day, Vines is Dr. Andrews' practice administrator at the Andrews Institute, but on weekends in the fall, he wears a different hat - the black hat of a Southeastern Conference football official. He's been officiating in the SEC for 10 years.

Vines, who played under legendary Coach Paul Bryant at University of Alabama, says no other coach influenced the game as much as Bryant because he was always looking for a loophole in the rules. (Incidentally, he says no one who ever played for Bryant refers to him as "Bear.")

Vines showed the crowd assembled for the Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting some of the tools of the trade, such as the down indicator, a wristband with an elastic loop which the referees put on their first, second, third and fourth fingers to keep track of the downs; an additional indicator on the right hand helps the umpires remember whether the ball should be returned to the left, right or center hash mark; and the "clip," a device that is used to determine the exact placement of the chains marking a first down.

Each official has a certain title and job. There is the referee, the official wearing the white hat; the umpire standing behind the defensive line, the line judge, the head linesman, the field judge, back judge and side judge. Each referee is responsible for a section of the game, and doesn't get to enjoy the full event like a spectator does.

The 'red hat' is the referee in charge of talking to the producer to schedule commercial breaks during the game.

As Head Linesman, Vines' uniform is marked with a large H on the back, and it is rarely seen on a televised game because he always stands near the coach on the side of the field opposite the press box. He acknowledges that if the H is visible, he's not doing his job and looking at the field.

Becoming a football official is a tough process, and each must rise through the ranks of officiating at the high school and small college level before being considered for a large conference such as the SEC. Each must undergo psychological testing and pass additional tests each year on the rules, run a mile and a half and pass a physical exam. There are eight crews in the SEC, and each official is compensated for travel and time officiating, an amount Vines acknowledges keeps officiating in the 'hobby' category.

Each referee is scored based on how well he performs in the game, with points counted off for details as small as where a player places his towel and how long it hangs. Those scores determine whether a referee officiates in the BCS or a lesser bowl at the end of the season.

Referees take control of the playing field one hour prior to kickoff and are responsible for players, coaches, cheerleaders, photographers and anyone else on the field in the game area. On one occasion, a thunderstorm broke out before the LSUOregon State game and the game had to be delayed, tempting several college students to shed their clothes and make a streaking dash across the field. Vines was in charge of them, too.

During his tenure with the SEC, Vines met several notable coaches including Lou Holtz, Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban, Tommy Tuberville and practically every other coach who's been in the SEC in the past 10 years.

From his time as a player in the SEC to the present, Vines has seen the game evolve in many ways. He says football officials like having instant replay to review a play.

"I love it for the right reason," Vines said of instant replay. "We're human; we're going to make mistakes."

Vines said the biggest change from his days playing in the SEC to today is the size of the players and the quality of the equipment, enabling the players to be used as fearless weapons.

"Speed and size changed the game. The head gear is so good (the players) can be used as weapons. Now, you have 300- pound guys. They have to be huge," Vines said. Once, he felt the full impact of the pain when a 382-pound player stepped on his foot. Vines responded with a swift kick in the player's rear end.

Vines career included 14 years as a high school official and four years officiating in the Southland conference before being able to move to the SEC.

He said that today, the NFLwants their officials to start before they turn 40 years old, so the progression time is much swifter.