Coaches Attire

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Does anyone know what section of the OHSAA rule book that would cover what the coaches must wear for their games? Last weekend an umpire informed that one of our coaches was not in the right outfit. The coach was wearing the school shirt and blue jeans(the No No) the jeans were not ripped and
had no holes in them.


Thanks

 

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You can't coach in jeans?!? Huh?!?

 

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Ed Rush must of been the head official and gave an order to not let him coach. ;&

 

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Rule 3-5-3...."cutoffs, or jeans of any type are prohibited. Must be in school colors or khaki, black, gray, or white. Pretty simple rule, and a good one.

 

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There really isn't any such thing as "an OHSAA rule book". Ohio, as does most states, belongs to the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS), and they publish the rule books that member states use. The regulations that cover coaching attire can be found under rule 3-5.

Any time a coach is in live-ball area to
confer with players or an umpire, or to occupy a coach's box, the coach shall be
attired in school uniform or jersey/coaching shirt with coaching shorts/slacks
or warm-up suits (including fleece warm-ups) in school colors or colors of
khaki, black, white or gray. Cut-offs or any type of jeans are prohibited.
Jackets are not considered part of the coach's uniform.
PENALTY: (Art. 3) A coach not dressed in appropriate attire shall not
be permitted in the field of play following the pregame conference for the
duration of the game or until the situation has been
remedied.

A little overboard? Maybe. But you would have to wonder what sort of get-ups you might see if there were no regulations at all. This rule ensures that coaches will maintain some decorum as represntatives of their school and their sport, and as role models for their student athletes.

 

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Wearing blue jeans or any denim while a coach in the dugout or around the field has long been known as an absolute "no no" in the women's fastpitch world. It doesn't matter what condition it is in. It's considered a sign of disrespect to the game and in many circles equals a slap in the face with a pair of gloves. You can accept this as a part of the heritage of the game or continue to deface the game's integrity. The choice is yours.

I learned of this years ago while preparing for our trip to the USSSA World Series for 16u. We wanted to make a good impression and had a new uniform purchased to go with our other uniform and the coaches decided to buy new shirts for the occasion. We coaches thought it would be cool to wear denim shorts as kind of a midwest flavor considering we're from Ohio. Just 2 days before we left town, a mentor of mine told me about this and I learned something new after 5 years of local travel ball. We promptly went out and bought the proper shorts to match our shirts to avoid conflict but still had to learn a lesson from it. A day before the event was to start, a coaches meeting was scheduled at the clubhouse of the main complex so we wore our denim shorts with our coaches shirts to the sign in. We were met at the door by a USSSA official that informed us no denim was allowed in the clubhouse at any time. We had to return to the hotel and change before gaining entry.

In the USSSA defense; the clubhouse was like something I'd only experienced a few times in my life. It was like being at the Master's or the Memorial Golf Classic. Absolutely beautiful inside and out including a secluded lounge for parents that looked like it should have been in the Hilton. All this country boy could think was "WOW, imagine how many hogs a guy could raise in here."

My first instincts were to protest but after that experience I decided to respect the game wherever and whenever it is played. I never wore denim to another game, even a Rec game to simply watch.

 

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In the winter time, I like my jeans......it's cold out for Pete's sake!!! I don't see how wearing jeans while coaching is a sign of disrespect to the game but that's just me. Thankfully, I only coach travel ball so I can wear them in the winter months.

 

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I love the rule, coaches should look sharp! Just be thankful Coaches don't have to wear the uniform like boys teams. The sights of hairy fat men in racer backs turns my stomach! :lmao:

 

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just say no to jorts !

 

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In the winter time, I like my jeans......it's cold out for Pete's sake!!! I don't see how wearing jeans while coaching is a sign of disrespect to the game but that's just me. Thankfully, I only coach travel ball so I can wear them in the winter months.

Julie-
Just heard back from the eXtreme fastpitch home office-look what your wearing next summer.

 

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I saw an entire school Varsity & JV staff in blue jeans about 2 weeks ago.........made them look like they just got off the tractor & ran to the field..........
Even the teams own red-neck parents were ashamed!

 

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Those dang Bike shorts!!!! Talk about being embarassed of your coaches attire.....ALL the coaches used to wear those and ALL the girls were embarassed as heck!!!! I would rather cloak myself in a 1 piece denim jump suit with denim shoes and a denim hat carrying a denim umbrella with a matching denim purse than wear those Bike shorts.

 

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I remember a couple years ago in north ridgeville there was a coach for a 12u team, he wore an entire uniform, jersey, pin striped baseball pants, hat, even wore the spikes. The back of his "jersey" even had his name on it, with "coach" in front of it, and he didn't have a dd in the team... so it was his name. I believe it was "Coach Pete" but I could be wrong.....days like that make me appreciate blue jeans and tennis shoes on a coach! Not sure why jeans are disrespectful anyway? My opinion.....

 

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I don't know "Why" they don't allow denim but there are enough in this game that believe in the rule that I don't want to disrespect the game. I wear denim on a regular basis in the real world. I'm a farmer by trade for God's sake! But I approach this as if I'm a guest in the Women's fastpitch world and dress accordingly. I still wear jeans at times to practices, especially in the winter. I didn't make this up, I'm simply a messager.

However, I do believe in setting a good example for the kids and think about that at most every turn in my life. I stop at stop signs, I use my turn signal, and I wear the proper attire for the occasion when it comes to fastpitch.

 

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Personally, I don't really care what a coach is wearing, either. I'd prefer them to be clean and neat, same as any other person I have to deal with in any other walk of life. Jeans wouldn't bother me. Well, they wouldn't bother me on someone else. I grew up with the same aversion for jeans on a baseball or softball field and, to me, they seem out of place. But that's just me. I couldn't care less if a coach was wearing them.

This falls into the same category as a lot of other stuff umpires are forced to deal with that doesn't have much at all to do with playing the game. Besides coaching attire, there are rules for player uniforms, jewelry, the color of their gloves and even what they can use to tie up their hair. I hate dealing with this stuff. I think that it makes the umpires come off as too hardnosed and inflexible when they have to crack down on coaches and players for these things.

BUT...if you're there getting paid to umpire a game, you have to enforce all the rules, not just the ones you like. You can't just ignore the ones that you don't agree with.

 

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Three years ago. Assistant coach shows up in a bright yellow tank-top, floral skater shorts, flip-flops, and over-sized sunglasses that look like they were lifted from an American Girl doll.

Team colors were navy blue and white.

True story.

 

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Dress for what you are doing. Does not matter if your fat or skinny dress the part. That plain and simple. Not saying you have to have a hundred dollar outfit. But look presentable and you get the respect. Again that plain and simple.