Fans of the SEC and Sun Belt will have a new name to curse at over blown calls this fall.
The two leagues jointly announced on Monday that John McDaid would serve as their new combined coordinator of football officials going forward.
“I am excited to serve in a leadership position that will afford me the opportunity to transition from leading a crew of eight officials on the field to developing and supporting an entire staff of officials in the Southeastern Conference and Sun Belt Conference,” McDaid said in a release. “I am committed to building on the solid foundation established by Steve Shaw and others before him to ensure the best officials are serving both conferences at the highest level.”
A veteran referee across a number of conferences, McDaid has been a referee in the SEC since 2015. Prior to that he was a referee in the AAC and spent over a decade as an official in the old Big East.
McDaid takes over the position for Steve Shaw, who recently became the new Secretary-Rules Editor for the NCAA Football Rules Committee and serves as the sport’s national coordinator of officials.
“John is widely recognized as one of the finest football officials in the nation and we are fortunate to have someone with his knowledge and ability serving in this important leadership position for our conference,” added SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “His educational background, successful officiating career and extensive management experience with Microsoft have prepared him to successfully guide the SEC’s football officiating program into the future.”
Both conferences note that McDaid, a Harvard graduate, has 16 bowl games under his belt, including four New Year’s Six games and the 2010 BCS National Championship Game.
All that experience, however, will mean little once he takes over the reigns as one of the sport’s more prominent names leading the oft-criticized zebras of the SEC. It just means more down South after all and fans know where the buck has to stop at the end of every Saturday in the end.