Xs & Os: Those black and white stripes
Referee, umpire, linesman, judge...what? I thought football officials were referees, umpires were in baseball games, a linesman fixed telephone lines and a judge was in the courtroom. Here's the lowdown on the Officials...those gentlemen wearing the black and white stripes:
Referee: in charge of all Officials; wears a white hat; positioned behind the Offense
Umpire: positioned behind the Defensive line
Head Linesman and Side Judge: positioned on one Sideline
Line Judge & Back Judge: positioned on the other Sideline
Field Judge: positioned behind the Defense in the center of the field
Some other little known facts about football Officials:
Referee: in charge of all Officials; wears a white hat; positioned behind the Offense

Head Linesman and Side Judge: positioned on one Sideline
Line Judge & Back Judge: positioned on the other Sideline
Field Judge: positioned behind the Defense in the center of the field
Some other little known facts about football Officials:
- Groups of Officials officiate in "teams", meaning they officiate games together all season
- An Official is always associated with a conference in college football
- A letter on the back of the shirt indicates what position they are on the field
- An American flag was added to the Official's uniform following September 11, 2001
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