Former Corbin Redhound leading officiating crew for national title game

Jeff Page and some Redhound teammates in 1985.

When sports fans in the local area tune into to Sunday’s NCAA Division I Football Championship between South Dakota State and North Dakota State, they should pay close attention to the man making the calls on the field. Leading the way for the officiating crew will be Corbin native, and former Corbin Redhound football standout, Jeff Page.

“This has been like a dream,” Page said of getting the opportunity to officiate a national title game. “I keep waiting for someone to pinch me and wake me up.”

Page, who played for the Redhounds under coach Cotton Adams in the mid-80’s described his time in a Corbin uniform as “awesome.”

“It was a great experience,” Page said. “I played with some great guys, and we had a really great team. I can’t say enough about getting to be a part of it.”

Page played on the offensive line as a Redhound, at the center and guard positions. He also played in the school band. After graduating in 1986, he left Corbin to continue his football career at East Tennessee State University. Unfortunately, he spent much of his freshman and sophomore years sidelined with various injuries, but he did earn a starting position on the defensive line during the 1988 and 1989 seasons.

After earning a degree in accounting at ETSU, Page moved to Sarasota, Fla., which is where he has called home ever since. During his time in the Sunshine State he has worked in the health care industry, and has spent the past 12 years employed by the IRS.

Page said that he has returned to Corbin on occasion, but he always makes it a point to keep an eye on how the Redhound football team is doing. “I still stay in contact with some of my old teammates,” he added. “I do try to come up sometimes during the football season, but it all depends on if my schedule will allow it.”

As for the journey that led to him officiating a nationally televised football championship, Page explained, “My dad was a basketball and football official when I was growing up. When I moved to Florida, I started by officiating high school basketball in the early 90’s. Eventually, I officiated college basketball for about 20 years, including 13 years in Division I.”

“I started officiating high school football in 1993-94,” Page continued. “I did that until about 2011, which is when I got involved in calling games for the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). I was there for a couple of years, and then got hired in Division II for about four years. I was hired into Division I in 2017, and in 2019 I became a crew chief.”

Although Page has officiated high school state championship contests multiple times, as well as playoff games at the college level, he said this will be the first time in his career that he has ever been given the opportunity to call a national championship.

“I’m very excited, but it’s still a job,” Page said. “With any level of officiating, you have to have a lot of help. I have been lucky to have a lot of help along the way, and I thank those who have supported and mentored me.”

Page and his crew are scheduled to arrive in Frisco, Texas on Friday. They will meet with NCAA personnel on Saturday to discuss their duties in the 2022 Division I Championship, which will be broadcast live on national television Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. The game will be played inside Frisco’s Toyota Stadium, and will be broadcasted on ABC.

For more information, visit www.ncaa.com/sports/football/fcs.