Two former University of Richmond football players suited up and took the field last week for the College Football Playoff National Championship. But neither played for Michigan or Washington, the teams vying for the title.

Instead, Danny Worrell and Troy Gray — both Spiders captains in the mid-1980s — served on another team at Houston’s NRG Stadium: the eight-member officiating crew.

“In college football, this is the pinnacle. It’s the game,” said Worrell, who was positioned behind the defense as umpire. “For us to get selected for that particular game was a dream come true.”

Tapped shortly after Thanksgiving, the two immediately launched into preparation for the assignment of a lifetime. The next month they watched the four top teams compete in the Sugar Bowl and Rose Bowl, reviewed game film, and met regularly with championship administrators.

“Everyone says you’ve got to treat it like just another game,” said Gray, the head line judge. “Well, it’s not like some other game. It’s the final game of the season.”

Hearing the national anthem play and observing the coin toss sparked some pre-game goosebumps. “It was loud — very loud — and electric. I was ready to put a helmet on and go out there and hit someone,” said Worrell, a former offensive lineman at Richmond. “But then the ball was kicked off, and we went into our serious game mode and muscle memory took over. You block everything else out.”

After playing football for nearly two decades, including as teammates at Richmond’s J.R. Tucker High School, officiating keeps the friends connected to the game. Starting in Pee Wee football leagues and working their way up through high school football, both advanced from Division III schools into larger conferences and ultimately to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Over time, they tested different officiating positions before finding their niche.

“Once you get good at one position, you want to stay there,” said Worrell, who graduated in 1985. Gray, who was a linebacker in college, quickly picked up the conversation: “And we all have different responsibilities, because there are 22 players on the field. We have to watch our part of the game, rely on other officials to watch their part of the game, and all come in sync.” 

The national championship turns to one of the top college conferences without a team in contention to provide the officiating crew. The ACC, which paired the self-described fun-loving and boisterous duo on a crew several years ago, found itself out of the picture this year.

“When you get into college officiating, you hope you get that call,” Worrell said. “But for some of the best officials in the business, that call never comes.”

Both officials credit the Wolverines and Huskies players for being well prepared and disciplined, keeping the game within a single score until the closing minutes. “They were there to play fast, to play strong, and to do their job,” said Gray, a 1986 graduate who used a red-shirt injury to play another year while working on his MBA.  

And while the season is finished, the time off is short for college football officials. This week, Worrell and Gray will attend their first meeting for the 2024 season, which likely means trips farther west as Stanford, California, and SMU join the ACC. They won’t be on the field, though, when Richmond travels to Virginia, since officials can’t call a game involving their alma mater.

On their off days, watching games on TV keeps the longtime friends focused on the action, but they can’t keep their eyes off the officials when sitting in the stands. 

“We’re watching how the officials work mechanically, and then we do our own judgment as to whether the calls are good or bad,” Gray said. “It’s a bad habit.”