NAPERVILLE -- The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) is celebrating “Officials’ Appreciation Week” along with all other Division III and Division II conferences throughout the 2024-2025 academic year. This year marks the third year of this initiative adopted by the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) to recognize and thank conference officials across all sports.
 
Former Wheaton football student-athlete Jeff Otterby has gone onto a career in football officiating. Jeff recently sat down with us to reflect on his experiences at Wheaton and as an official.
 
What has been your favorite aspect of officiating?  
 
Otterby: “All the people I've met and worked with and the opportunity to travel to a lot of different places to officiate.”
 
What, if anything, about your experience in the CCIW motivated you to go into officiating? 
 
Otterby: “I started officiating intramurals while at Wheaton, and then middle school and high school. When I started to officiate college, it was football and women's basketball in the CCIW. I knew all the schools so well so it was a perfect fit.”
 
How would you describe your experience at Wheaton?  
 
Otterby: “I loved it. Met a lot of great people and enjoyed the atmosphere.”
 
What piece of advice would you give to an aspiring official?  
 
Otterby: “Give it time.  Parents and coaches can be a little out of control, but get a mentor and the right people around you and you'll get it. Be sure to learn the rules – that's the credibility you have, but also have common sense and good people skills. Join an association and attend meetings.  Ask questions. It's a great profession to join with a lot of great people. Avoid men's leagues and AAU stuff as much as possible. They are never worth the hassle”
 
Was it challenging to work your way up through the ranks in officiating?  
 
Otterby: “A little bit.  It helps having played football, but it's also meeting and knowing the right people. I was fortunate to have good relationships with D1 officials who helped me get into the Missouri Valley. I even had a short stint doing some NFL games. But, it's a weekly grind – the higher up you go, the shorter your offseason is. Quizzes and studies every week.”
 
Officials’ Appreciation Week will be celebrated during the fall, winter and spring sport seasons. To kick off the year, the fall celebration takes place from October 7th – October 13th followed by January 27th – February 2nd for winter and April 7th – April 13th for spring.
 
The commitment of CCIW officials and referees to safe, fair and competitive contests is a critical part of the student-athlete experience.
 
Officials’ Appreciation Week is one of numerous initiatives that are being implemented as part of the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) Strategic Plan for Collegiate Officiating that was created as a result of the DIIICA’s Strategic Analysis of the State of Collegiate Officiating. In conjunction with the NCAA and the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), there is an urgent need for sports officials, if interested please visit the NCAA’s Say Yes to Officiating platform to learn more.