Pylons And Irwin Shopbell, Football's Most Inventive Official

Those complaining about football officials and their mistakes never met Irwin "Bud" Shopbell since he took it upon himself to solve two officiating problems. Shopbell was an automotive engineer from Canton, Ohio, who officiated high school, Mid-American Conference, and Missouri Valley Conference games before moving to the Big Ten in 1963.

Shopbell handled both referee and head linesman duties, and the latter line of work sparked his inventive side. As happens in football, plays approaching the sidelines cause the chain gang to lay down their tools and scatter. Other times, they move the chains prematurely. Both situations require an accurate means of returning the chains to their original spot. Although the solution seems obvious now, Shopbell was the guy who invented the Head Linesman's best friend, the HeadLiner, or disks with chains that clipped onto the chains at the spot of the ball and the back of the yard line intersecting the chains. HeadLiners allowed the chain gang to abandon their posts and return safely, knowing they could recover the correct spot. The HeadLiner at the yard line also improved accuracy when the chains went onto the field for measurement.

Modern versions of head lineman’s clips. (Ump-Attire.com)

In addition to solving a problem that had existed since chains arrived in 1894, Shopbell solved another that plagued the football world for only 40 years.