Most Homewood High students know Bobby Deavers as the 12th-grade counselor and a friendly face around the school. What they may not know, however, is that he’s refereed for middle school, high school and collegiate sports since his time in college. 

During a Q&A session with Deavers, he detailed his reffing career outside of HHS and provided insight on what it means to him. 

When did you start reffing?

I started doing all sports back when I was in college. I did football, basketball, volleyball and softball during the college intramural sports season. Right out of graduate school was when I started it as a career, beginning high school basketball in 1997 and collegiate basketball in 1998. I didn’t start high school football until 2015.  

Where do you/have you reffed?

I have been all over the southeast for college basketball and have taken trips out to Las Vegas and New Orleans as well. For high school football and basketball, I predominantly stay in Alabama. 

What are the specific age groups you ref?

I have always done high school and collegiate sports. Now, I mainly do high school basketball and football. I have started doing middle school football and basketball for 7th and 8th graders, and still do some collegiate basketball. 

Who do you ref for now?

I reffed for Homewood in the past before I started working here, but I ref all over the local area and state now. 

Have you had to deal with backlash during games?

Oh yes, all the time. I am constantly called a cheater and have to deal with poor fan behavior. But, it is just part of the game, and you have to learn to work around it. 

What is your favorite thing about reffing?

I love all of the traveling and the camaraderie. Being able to interact with students and watch them play sports they care about is very fun for me. 

Do you have a most memorable or high-profile game you have reffed?

I got to ref the 4A state football championship this past year in Bryant-Denny stadium which was a very cool experience for me. I also had the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas to ref The University of Oklahoma and The University of California in basketball which was the most noteworthy game I have refereed.

What is the main reason you continue to ref?

I have played sports since I was 6 years old and I love getting to be surrounded by sports and athletes. I like the certain rules and regulations we follow, crazy as that sounds, and of course, the money is good. 

Deavers hopes to continue reffing for the foreseeable future, aiming to continue to be involved with various sports and age groups across the country and state.