Name: Greg Dockery
Job: Instant Replay Technician for UTSA Football and the Alamobowl
In 2012, I did stats for a high school football game between the Brandeis Broncos and the Warren Warriors. I was only a year into my writing as I shared photos, stats, and my thoughts on the game itself. Greg Dockery was one of the officials, and I did the worst thing I could possibly do, and that was, I criticized the officiating crew in my article about the game. Don’t worry, I learned my lesson and have never done that again.
Well, he read my words and emailed me. I won’t spill any details, but I will say that after a few exchanges, I learned he worked in the replay booth for UTSA Football and I worked as the statistician for the Spanish Radio broadcasting team which was next to the replay booth. A few weeks later, I met him at a UTSA Football game and we had a very pleasant chat.
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED AS A HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL OFFICIAL?
I got started in my early 20’s. I went to watch my old high school play, and for the first time I noticed the officials. My father was my high school principal and was still the principal when I went to watch my old high school play that time and he knew several of the officials doing the game. My father introduced me to them and for the first time I thought, wow, that would be fun, so I asked one of them how to get involved. That official called my father the next week and gave him the details, so the next week I went to a meeting and started. That was around 1987. My father was also a former coach so he knew a lot of officials.
I had many big games. The coolest stadium was working the old Cowboys Stadium since I grew up watching many Cowboys games as a kid.
I retired from the field 2 years ago after 35 years officiating on the field.
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH UTSA FOOTBALL AND THE ALAMOBOWL?
I started doing UTSA Football in 2011, the inaugural season. A guy on my high school officiating crew was an Assistant Athletic Director at UTSA at that time and asked me and another guy on the crew if we wanted to work UTSA as instant replay technician and communicator. Actually, the guy that started with me as the communicator was taken in the NFL as a replay communicator this last season, so he’s moved up as high as you can get.
I have done all of the Alamobowl games since about 2012 because I was already doing game at the Alamodome for UTSA and the company that provides all of the equipment for replay, DVSports, knew me and knew I did a good job so they called and hired me that first Alamobowl game I worked and every year since. They don’t have to fly someone in and pay for hotel, etc, so it was easier to just get me.
The replay technician is the busiest person in the replay room; where there are three people – the replay technician, the replay communicator, and the replay official.
I set up all of the equipment before the games, the replay monitor on the field, the headset for the field level replay person, the video feeds from truck, and makes sure all of the pagers given to each official is working.
During the game, I mark each play with down, distance, yard-line, hash mark, play type and queue the play upon the ball being snapped. I also record all fouls, I start the start replay recording of all angles when there is a replay stoppage, I start the timer, I provide input on the best angle for the replay official, and I enter any pertinent data the replay official wants on the recording.
After the game, I collect all of the equipment and return it to the replay room. I make sure the recording of the game and related reports are completed and uploaded and sent to the DVSports website so the officials can watch the games. There’s more, but that’s about all that comes to mind. We have to be at the game site 3 to 4 hours before the games to make sure everything is up and running.
DID YOU HAVE ANY TRAINING FROM THE NCAA ON BEING A REPLAY TECHNICIAN?
There’s no special training. It is essentially on the job training with a DVSports person the first time you do it, then you are on your own to makes mistakes and learn from them. I’ve been doing it a long time and still mess up at least once a game. There’s just way too much to keep track of to be perfect.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEBODY WHO WANTS TO BECOME AN OFFICIAL?
The best way to get started is to call the local officiating chapter over the summer. July is when they start meeting for the new guys. There is a weekly class for new members to go over all of the rules and mechanics, and pointers on how to move up and get better. The TASO web site has all of the chapter by chapter contact information.