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Luklan accepts ACC ruling after Miami-Duke game
By Greg Gulas
BEAVER TOWNSHIP
In 24 seasons as a college football official, Boardman’s Rob Luklan has earned 14 bowl or conference championship assignments.
He most recently worked the Citrus Bowl game on Jan. 1 between the University of Michigan and Florida.
It is for the longest play in modern college football history, however, that Luklan has received most of his queries and for which his Atlantic Coast Conference crew might be most remembered.
Addressing the Curbstone Coaches during their Monday’s luncheon at Avion Banquet Center, Luklan said that the ending to last fall’s Miami-Duke game in Durham, N.C., was a game that comes up once in a lifetime.
“That play took 46 seconds and eight laterals from start to finish and is now the longest play ever recorded in NCAA college football history,” Luklan said. “Even when I look at it today, it remains a play that leaves you scratching your head and questioning did that, in fact, really just happen.”
Luklan, a back judge, received a perfect grade by his supervisors on the nine of calls he made.
However, the crew received a three-game suspension because the controversial play had several non-calls that were revealed on replay and cost Duke a victory.
Luklan said the game was reminiscent of the 1982 Cal-Stanford contest, which ended with California’s game-ending dash through the Stanford band.
“It was a tough pill to swallow, but you are a crew and overall accept what the league rules, then move on,” Luklan said of the suspension. “It was ACC corporate management, not our head of officials who issued the suspension.”
Luklan started out on the Division III level and lasted seven seasons in the Ohio Athletic Conference. He moved over to the Mid-American Conference for 10 seasons, was a Big Ten official for four years and has spent the last three campaigns in the ACC.
He also serves as league liaison to the University of Pittsburgh and head coach Pat Narduzzi, coordinating and evaluating officials for the Panthers’ spring practices and spring game.
“It’s very important that we continue to grow as officials,” Luklan said. “My job each spring is to make sure that the University of Pittsburgh, as a league member institution, receives our best effort whenever we work any of their practices or scrimmages.”
Asked to compare the Big Ten to the ACC, he pointed out that “the Big Ten is more physical and a conference that plays a power game, while the ACC boasts faster receivers and seems to be more athletic.”
Often questioned as to whether Ohio State’s Joey Bosa deserved to be ejected for targeting after his hit on Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer in this year’s Fiesta Bowl, Luklan’s reply was yes, but only after he was able to review the play.
“You cannot use the crown of your helmet,” Luklan said. “Bosa lowered the crown of his helmet and hit him in the sternum and that was cause for his ejection.”
Luklan was able to catch up with former Chaney standout Mike Zordich – now an assistant coach for the Wolverines – prior to the start of the Citrus Bowl.
Luklan said the game had a very Ohio feel to it with a number of players, including Howland’s De’Veon Smith on the Michigan roster.
Along with fellow Big Ten official Tom Krispinsky, Luklan has worked Cleveland Browns practices over the past several years.
Despite the suspension, Luklan drew the Army-Navy assignment in December.
“The true football fan needs to experience the pageantry of the Army-Navy game at least once during their lifetime,” Luklan said. “Three hours before the game, you get to see the festivities.
“The game is played for the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy and on a personal note, I had the opportunity to see my niece, Allison Pavlansky, march in with her Naval Academy classmates. It was a very memorable and a touching experience for me.”