I feel like we really don’t appreciate how athletic referees are on the football field. They do often have to trail very speedy athletes who are running as fast as they can. You’ve seen refs get left in the dust, but I doubt you’ve seen many officials do this.
This referee has WHEELS.
— Northwestern On BTN (@NUOnBTN) November 26, 2016
pic.twitter.com/E0G8A38rNt
That’s center judge Bryan Banks turning on the wheels to run with Northwestern defensive back Godwin Igwebuike during NU’s win over rival Illinois.
We clocked it from the time he crossed the 50-yard line to the moment he crossed the 10-yard line (and begins to slow his gait a bit). SB Nation’s Brian Floyd clocked Banks at 5.03, and I got Banks at 5.06.
This is a marked step up from the previous most athletic ref in history.
Perhaps it would be much more B1G if Banks put the shoulder into a QB to defend the goal line. But we’ll certainly appreciate him flying up the field going stride for stride with a defensive back.
And the worst part about it is: the play got called back due to a personal foul. So Banks did all that running for nothing.