Tony Altobelli
If you're a student at Orange Coast College watching a National
Football League game on the tube some Sunday afternoon and an official
blows a call against your favorite team, be careful what you say.
You might be in one of his classes.
Laird Hayes, OCC men's soccer co-coach also moonlights as a side judge in
the NFL.
Entering his fifth season in the "bigs", Hayes has an endless amount of
stories about his Sunday job.
"I was on the field the game of the Detroit-Pittsburgh Thanksgiving game
last year where the new coin toss rule was established," Hayes said. "And
before you ask, I was on the sidelines so I didn't hear if he (Jerome
Bettis) called heads or tails."
So what is a side judge? "Basically, I'm about 20 yards downfield taking
care of the sidelines," Hayes said. "I keep track of the pass
interferences, hands to the face, out of bounds plays, traps on punts,
things like that."
In honor of his solid work, Hayes has been named to the playoff
officiating crews the past three seasons and looks to make it four in a
row this season.
"If you make to a playoff crew, that means that you get to keep your job
the following year," Hayes said. "We get graded on every play of every
game, so you have to be at your best every single minute you're out
there. You start wandering from your focus and bad things start
happening."
Hayes got into the NFL just like a player would; by earning it.
After spending time in the high school and community college ranks, Hayes
spent 13 years in the Pac-10 Conference in the NCAA.
"I never even thought about the NFL," Hayes said. "I was content doing
the NCAAs when someone asked if I had ever applied to the NFL. I ended up
applying and I was fortunate enough to make it."
What Hayes is best known for around OCC, however is the success that he
and his co-coach Mauricio Claure have generated for OCC's Men's soccer
team.
There's only one small problem.
"I've never played one second of soccer in my life," Hayes admitted.
"Over the years, I've been an intense student of the game, so I have the
strategies and 'Xs and Os' of the game, while Mauricio has the years of
playing experience.
T orn cartilage, ruptured ligaments, a chipped bone, as well
as various other tattered tissue, would hardly be considered
precious mementos of ones college experience.But for Bryan
Luxembourger, the most decorated football player in Costa Mesa High
history, the aforementioned maladies did little to sour him on his four
years at Villanova University.Even if I had to go through exactly the
