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Although it does not contain all 35, it does help remember for the next time you watch a game. So when you are wondering what referees are telling you and the players and what the players are arguing about, remember this film. The NFL gave referees microphones in 1975 so they could provide clarification on the field to teams, to broadcasters and to fans in the stadium and at home. The growth of the game on television led the league to equip officials with one more communication tool. So, the NFL changed the signal to a wrist above the head, and later tweaked it to the personal foul signal used today: one wrist striking the other above the head. When Legion officials quizzed elementary school students about the meaning of the salute, a 12-year-old boy responded: “That means unnecessary roughness.” The American Legion asked the NFL to change the signal because children were confusing the football signal with the salute to the nation’s flag. Others such as folded arms to indicate that a team declined a penalty, have been modified as newer signals were introduced.įor example, until 1955, officials used a military-type salute to call unnecessary roughness penalties.
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Some signals used today - for a safety, a touchdown and holding - are more or less the same as those used decades ago.
#Football ref signals professional
As the signals became more commonly used in the college game, professional football adopted them as well. This nonverbal communication enabled the announcers to better describe the action. American Football Knowledge Vintage Poster/ Football Refereeing Signals. When he stopped the action, he looked to the broadcast booth and flashed the appropriate sign. Check out our football signals selection for the very best in unique or custom. Geiges came up with four simple signals: offside, holding, illegal shift and timeout. The first use of hand signals can be traced to a 1929 college game between Syracuse University and Cornell University.īefore kickoff, the radio announcers for that game approached the referee, Elwood Geiges, with an idea to improve their broadcast: They asked Geiges to use hand signals to let them know what penalties he was calling and why he stopped play. Spectators who couldn’t hear the official were often confused about what was going on.Īs the game attracted more fans, both in the stadium and through radio broadcasts, those watching and listening wanted a faster way of knowing what was happening.Īs with many early changes, hand signals were first introduced at the college level and later adopted by the NFL. In football’s early days, officials simply shouted when calling a penalty or stopping play for a timeout or other reason. These signals were originally developed to improve communication between the officials and the fans. A few key signals to remember when watching a game