Rogers Redding, who has served as the national coordinator of college football officials since 2011, has announced plans to retire after the season. This caps a career in college football officiating that started in the Southwest Conference in 1988.

“Having been a referee in the Southwest and Southeastern conferences, serving as the national coordinator has been a highlight of my officiating career,” Redding said. “I have immensely enjoyed working with the conference coordinators and the College Football Officiating board of managers to improve officiating across the country.”

Redding, who also held the position of NCAA secretary-rules editor from 2008 to 2017, worked to enhance policies for the consistent application of NCAA playing rules in all games. His tenure saw the institution of instant replay across Division I Football Bowl Subdivision play and the addition of the eight-person officiating system. Redding also worked closely with the national media and created videos to assist with the understanding of the rules.

“Rogers’ tireless work to improve the rules and officiating mechanics helped make great strides in the sport,” said Jon Steinbrecher, commissioner of the Mid-American Conference and chair of the College Football Officiating LLC board of managers. “Rogers’ enduring legacy will be one of a focus on player safety. His leadership resulted in the creation of rules focused on targeting and eliminating low and blind-side blocks. Football is a better game because of his focus and efforts.”

Redding received his bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech and his master’s and doctorate in physical chemistry from Vanderbilt. A career academic, Redding served as a physics professor and senior academic administrator at North Texas, Northern Kentucky, Air Force and Colorado-Colorado Springs.