Lakewood Ranch grad makes right call being an official

Drew Myers remembers how close he came to being attacked while officiating a youth basketball game.

A Lakewood Ranch High student at the time, Myers said a parent disagreed with one of his calls and raced down three flights of stairs to confront him. Thankfully for Myers, he had established a relationship with the community and a crowd of parents prevented the perturbed progenitor from reaching the court.

That bad memory didn't kill Myers' desire to be an official, although now 27, he isn't working on the court. He works with the Florida High School Athletic Association as a linesman for varsity football games.

He’s worked with the organization since he was 19, when he was the youngest official allowed to work varsity games.

I chatted with Myers about his hobby at his day job at Advanced Chiropractic and Physiotherapy in Lakewood Ranch. He was on his lunch break, watching film of the last game he worked (Booker against Hardee). The FHSAA sends him game film every week and he spends “pretty much every lunch break” studying what he did right and wrong.

“No game is going to be perfect, whether the fans think it is or you think it is,” Myers said. “My goal is to find at least three things every film I could have done better or differently. If you don’t, I think either you are not watching with enough criticism or you don’t want to get better.”

Those things can range from simple positioning issues to fully blown calls, Myers said.

It’s a thankless job, which Myers knows. He’s not looking for praise, but a little respect wouldn’t hurt. When I asked Myers to repeat the meanest thing ever said to him, he refused, saying it would set a record for number of curse words in a row. He did mention that youth parents are much worse than high school coaches, though. As for the strangest moment he’s had as an official? Well, it’s also one of the coolest, he said.

“It was Cardinal Mooney’s spring game three years ago,” Myers said. “Carrollwood Day High came down (from Tampa), and (Super Bowl winning coach) Jon Gruden’s son played for Carrollwood. He was on my sideline the entire time, walking up and down the field. He was hilarious. He just said, ‘Come on young buck, we have to get you some glasses already? You have to get on your horse!” He kept saying things like that. Never disrespectful, just a funny guy.”

Unfortunately, not everyone is as cool as Gruden. Youth parents are often an ugly blotch on what is supposed to be a beautiful game. Myers has been able to block that out though, to remain in contact with the game he loves. He played wide receiver and tight end for the Mustangs. Football is in his nature, and he’s been officiating for nearly a decade now. He wants to follow this passion as far as he can, hoping to reach the NFL by the time he turns 45.

The path to do so is similar to that of the players. College scouts will attend games and host clinics, looking for the top talent. Myers would like to spend time in a big college football conference before reaching the professional ranks, as he thinks the energy surrounding those games is unmatched.

There are limited spots at the top of the officiating food chain, but I would not bet against Myers making it. His passion for what he does is obvious when talking to him. He’s not content with being merely a “good” official, and he will tell you so.

I worked as a youth baseball umpire for two calendar years in high school, and though I was decent at the job, getting selected to work a few All-Star games, I never considered pursuing it further because it’s a difficult job and I did not find the abuse worth it. Myers does, and more power to him.

I’m tempted to talk more about my experiences, but I won’t.

That way, Myers won’t flag me for encroachment.