From Hardwood to Gridiron: A Basketball Official’s First Season on the Football Field

The best officials never stop learning. Joshua Koch has spent more than a decade proving it, and this fall he added a new chapter.

Koch has officiated basketball since 2012. He works The Basketball League (TBL), NCAA men’s Division II, Division III, and NAIA games across several conferences, and high school games for the IHSAA. He’s also a clinician at officiating camps, where he helps other officials grow. This fall, he took on a new role: line judge on a Friday night high school football crew.

Away from the field, Koch is a sergeant with the Plainfield Police Department and a husband to Hannah. He and Hannah have four children: Carter (17), Jack (12), Layla (4), and Tilly (2).

So what happens when a veteran college basketball official takes on a new sport? Koch shares his first game, the flag he didn’t throw, and what basketball taught him about football.

You’ve officiated collegiate basketball for years. What made you decide to add football, and why now?

I have had the desire to work football for several years now. Selfishly, I wanted to join a Friday crew, because I did not have the desire to work random games with unknown partners. One of the things I love about varsity football is you are assigned to a crew. Spending Friday nights with the same guys was special and something we do not get to experience in basketball. I added it this year because a spot came open on a crew that had three of my basketball ‘guys’ already on the crew. For me, it was an obvious decision to be able to work football games with people I am already very comfortable with.

After years at the college level, what was it like being the rookie again? What did that teach you?

This question made me laugh. I started being a clinician at camp(s) several years ago, so I have always had a high sympathetic outlook for learners. I have not felt that way since 2012 when I started officiating basketball. Honestly, parts of being a rookie were fun. New challenges and learning new skills are exciting for me. It was also frustrating at times due to not having the level of knowledge and repetitions as my crew mates. 

My goal in basketball, specifically, has always been to be the best partner I can be on and off the court. Experience, knowledge, buy-in from coaches and players, and respect are a major part of that equation. I had exactly none of that in football. The one experience I really leaned into was my ability to talk to coaches. Having a patient whistle was also a discipline I carried over from basketball that helped me tremendously this year.

I knew the mistakes and funny stories would come, and I did not wait long to give my crew

ammunition to use against me. We were at Columbus East for the second game of my career, and I had a play on the sideline where a face-mask penalty occurred. Instead of reaching for my flag and throwing it, I confidently threw my fist in the air like I was calling an easy foul in a basketball game. When I realized what I had done, I quickly dropped my closed fist and threw my flag. The back judge on the crew, Brigham Robbins, immediately got on the headset and said, “I saw that.”

In basketball, you’re reading contact and advantage/disadvantage in tight quarters, whereas football relies on fixed keys and crew positioning across an entire field. What transferred seamlessly, and what hardwired basketball instinct are you still actively unlearning?

What transferred immediately and seamlessly was dealing with coaches and players. High

emotions, chaos, arguing, and tough conversations are something law enforcement and

officiating basketball had already calloused me. It was my experience that my ability or knowledge on the basketball court only aided my progression on the football field. Given the aforementioned story I guess I would have to answer hardwired mechanics!

Football has more crew members and more specific position responsibilities. How did you learn your position and your keys? Did anything surprise you?

I had a plethora of help. Harrison Beckmann who moved from line judge to head line judge was a tremendous help. Mark Sexton helped me a great deal at a couple of high school association meetings, and Ryan Kent helped me talk through stuff on the phone at various times. I also shadowed Ryan at a game he worked when our crew had an off week prior to my first game. What surprised me the most was how fast things are for me being new.

When an irate coach is charging your way, what goes through your mind in those few seconds before you speak? How has being a sergeant shaped your understanding of the difference between enforcing control and commanding respect?

I may be a little off my rocker. I love chaos and when coaches charge at me. Moments like this,

in my opinion, are opportunities to gain credibility for the crew and show leadership. My law

enforcement experience has helped me tremendously when knowing when to enforce control and command respect. Officials, in my opinion, expect respect immediately. We are walking into coaches’ home spaces, and we need to earn respect. We earn respect by showing up on time, communicating, being professional, and knowing our craft.

Walk us through your very first high school football game. What was the setting, what were you feeling right before kickoff, and what turned out to be completely different from what you assumed it would be?

My first football game was at Tipton High School, and they were playing Lafayette Central Catholic. I remember it was very hot and I was feeling like the very limited football knowledge I had obtained had completely evaporated. Before kickoff, I knew I was going to make mistakes. I just tried to focus on minimizing them and not letting my thought process speed up too much. What really stood out to me about football was how it made me lean into nostalgia. I remember growing up and going to my small-town football games on Friday nights, and the whole town being there. This is what Tipton reminded me of in that evening.

I also noticed how quickly football coaches get over certain plays compared to basketball

coaches. I think I heard three fan comments throughout the entirety of the season. You cannot

make it one possession in basketball without three fans chirping about something. I thoroughly I enjoyed my first season officiating football and am already looking forward to next season.

What would you tell a first-year official in any sport?

I would first say ‘thank you’ and ‘you are needed.’ Expect mistakes, learn from them, find two to

three officials at your level you trust and do not listen to any other outside noise.

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Koch’s first football season offers a lesson for officials in any sport: the skills that matter most travel with you. Mechanics and keys are specific to each game, but a patient whistle, composure, and the ability to talk with coaches carried him from the basketball court to the football field. Respect, on the other hand, has to be earned in every new setting, through showing up on time, communicating, staying professional, and knowing the craft.

Officiating rewards those who stay curious, and for Koch, a new sport only made the work more rewarding. We want to thank Joshua for taking the time to share his first season with us and for the lessons he offered officials along the way.