Those ticking seconds and minutes can often be the difference between a win and a loss but, while the works may be mechanical, human interaction is required to make it all work.
Henryetta retired coach Dutch VanDenBorn is an integral part of that effort in a number of college football games.
VanDenBorn retired from the Henryetta schools four years ago and, since then, his fall months have been spent traveling on weekends to a number of college games.
He told his story to members of the Lions Club this week giving some insights into the inner workings of his job.
“(Dr.) David Warden asked me if I would like to be a time keeper in the Big 12,” he said. “I thought it over for awhile and got my first assignment four years ago at the OSU game in Stillwater.”
“I was on pins and needles in that first game,” he said. “I didn’t want to make a mistake.”
His task actually looks simple with a box and button that sends the electronic impulse to the clock.
He said preparations for the game actually starts some three hours prior to kickoff with a meeting with officials. At that time, everyone makes sure they are aware of the signals required to start and stop the time for field goals, false starts, penalties and the like. The timekeepers are not in a prime location high above the 50-yard line. In several fields he said he is watching the game from an enclosed room near the end zone if not actually watching the game between the crossbars. “We have to watch the movement of the ball and hope we are keeping up,” he said.
Since that debut at Stillwater, he has been across the United States. VanDenBorn recounted a trip to West Virginia where he found out November weather there can be brutally cold. The time
This year he was in his perch when the OSU Cowboys hosted the Southeastern Louisiana Lions at the season opener. This weekend he travels to Ames, Iowa and will be keeping the clock when the Sooners meet the Longhorns next month.
