You don't ask an auto mechanic to do the catering at your daughter's wedding.
For the best job possible, you turn to the best. In the case of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Junior World Championship in Canton, Ohio, that would be Tom Herbert.
The former Big Ten Conference back judge is among 31 officials from 14 countries chosen to oversee the event, which runs from Saturday to July 5 and is sponsored by USA Football. Herbert is as much a part of the game as goal posts and kicking tees, having worked 16 bowls during a 30-year career -- the longest stint ever by any Big Ten official.
"I'm fired up. I'm ready to go," said Herbert, a 1965 Lew Wallace grad.
He won't be the only Region representative performing in the shadow of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Ball State lineman Matthew Page of E.C. Central and Northern Illinois defensive back Jordan Lynch of Mt. Carmel are on the Team USA roster, with Mt. Carmel coach Frank Lenti as an assistant.
"They have officials from all over the world," Herbert said. "In America, players have to be either red-shirt, college or out of college. That's not true for other countries, but they're all around college age."
NCAA rules apply and the championship game reportedly will be televised on ESPN with one stipulation: Officials from those competing countries can't work that game.
Unlike the current shortage of qualified officials at the high school level, college football isn't lacking.
"Once you become an official, you're anxious to move up. We have plenty to choose from, which drains the high school ranks somewhat," Herbert said. "It's not easy getting them in the first place, and now they've gone from four officials to five (for football) and from two to three-man crews in basketball.
"There's more games available and less officials to pick from."
Herbert retired from officiating after the 2007 season, spent 2008 in the replay booth and continues to serve in that capacity, working closely with Michigan City's Dave Parry while running national clinics.
We know athletes feel pressure to the point of suffering emotional problems. Officials are no different.
The two biggest games of Herbert's impressive career came in 2006 as part of an all-star crew when No. 2 Michigan lost at No. 1 Ohio State. Weeks later, he was back judge at the Fiesta Bowl, where Boise State shocked Oklahoma in the closing seconds on that now-famous Statue of Liberty play.
"Michigan-Ohio State was a super high pressure game. You could feel it the moment you walked into the stadium, especially when Bo (Schembechler) died the night before," Herbert said. "The intensity of that game was incredible.
"And Boise State's upset of Oklahoma was said to be one of the best bowl games in the history of the bowl series. That's what you train for all those years -- games like that."
The hook for Tom Herbert, football official, is simple. Having been a principal in both the Merrillville and Oak Forest school systems, he sought to help student-athletes become better people on and off the field.
Canton isn't heaven, but being back in the classroom certainly is.
This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at al.hamnik@nwi.com.
