Whistle stops: Ex-Tiger QBs move from tossing footballs to throwing flags

Tommy West, the former University of Memphis football coach, recognized a familiar face on the field.

West, an assistant defensive coach at Middle Tennessee State, spotted Brett Toney, a former quarterback under West, near midfield a few years ago and yelled in his direction. Toney, a member of the officiating crew, didn’t respond and probably wouldn’t have acknowledged West had he heard him.

West didn’t relent, giving Toney a playful, good-natured razzing before kickoff.

“Hey Big Time,” West said “Get it right Big Time, get it right.”

There are coaches who have a knack for working with players who become coaches. West may be one of the few with a penchant for developing those who become college football referees.

Toney is one of two former U of M quarterbacks under West who are making names for themselves in the profession. The other is Martin Hankins, whose name remains prominent in the records section of the Memphis media guide even though he hasn't played in nearly 15 years. He is the record holder for most pass completions in a game (41).

Both have new stories and experiences in college football to share.

Toney, 35, is a back judge in the Sun Belt Conference. He received his first full crew assignment in 2018. Martin Hankins, 36, is a back judge in the Southeastern Conference, where he is completing his sixth season.

West knows why the duo has succeeded in their return to college football, albeit wearing a different set of stripes.

“They are both accountable people,” West said. “I don’t know if people realize it or not, but to be an official in today’s world, it takes a lot of hard work. You can’t just show up.

“I was able to recommend them (to their respective leagues’ director of officials) as people. I didn’t know what kind of officials they would be, but I knew they were quality people. They handled their business when they played for me, whether it was school or football. I knew they would be committed to becoming good officials.”

For Toney, it’s been an enjoyable journey back to college football, where Toney helped the Tigers to a St. Petersburg Bowl appearance in 2008. He’s been a college official for the past seven years, including the past two in the Sun Belt Conference. He also spent time in Conference USA.

“It’s the best second job in the world,” Toney said.

A clinical pharmacist at Regional One, Toney, a Collierville resident, routinely takes off Fridays during the season to travel to his assignment. He said he’s fortunate to have bosses who understand his passion for the sport and the profession and are willing to make concessions in the fall.

The second job requires its share of homework. Toney said. He spends time each week reviewing films and doing rules study, while keeping physically fit with frequent trips to the gym.

“It’s not a job where we just show up on Saturday and get booed,” he said.

Hankins, who led the U of M to the 2007 New Orleans Bowl, joined the Southeastern Conference fulltime as a back judge in 2016 after having worked the previous season in the Sun Belt Conference.

Like Toney, Hankins worked his way through various levels of football competition. A Lamar County (Mississippi) circuit clerk, Hankins began officiating in 2010 at a pee wee football game in Sumrall, Mississippi, and quickly discovered a passion for the role. Soon, there were high school, junior college and NCAA Division 3 assignments. He began working in the Sun Belt Conference in 2015.

Both Toney and Hankins caught the officiating bug while they were in college, serving as summer league youth baseball umpires along with Will Hudgens, also a former UofM quarterback. Toney said they earned $350 to $450 per weekend depending upon the number of games they worked.

Hankins became convinced he could serve as a college official when he worked a U of M scrimmage during a season he spent as a graduate assistant for West.

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Having played at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, neither Toney nor Hankins were intimidated by stepping back onto the field before large crowds. Those playing experiences aided in their quick grasp of officiating, particularly the knowledge they acquired as quarterbacks, where seeing the entire field pre-snap is essential.

“You’re not awestruck when you’ve been there and done it,” said Gary Toney, Brett’s father. “It makes for an easier transition.”

In high school, Hankins was a star at Hattiesburg (Mississippi High, where he set Class 5A state records for career passing and touchdowns. At 1-AA Southeastern Louisiana – where he spent two seasons before transferring to Memphis – Hankins led the nation in passing (4,240 yards) in 2004. At Memphis, he passed for 43 touchdowns during a two-year stint, which ranks fifth all-time for a Tigers quarterback.

Toney had a memorable career at Briarcrest Christian High School. He played quarterback for coach Hugh Freeze, had his blind side protected by left tackle Michael Oher and helped direct the Saints to the 2004 state title.

What Toney and Hankins have discovered as officials is one is not allowed to work a game where the head coach of either team was their coach previously, regardless of level. Toney said that will preclude him from working Liberty University games, where Freeze is head coach.

“I’ll have to block out Georgia Southern (when next year’s assignments are made),” Toney said, noting Clay Helton, a former Memphis assistant, recently took over as head coach.

Brett said he got his first break working for four years as a Conference USA official. His short-term goal is to join Hankins in the SEC. His long-term goal is to work NFL games.

“To move up, you’ve got to work a lot of games,” Toney said. “When I was starting out, I was working for three different conferences at the same time. I’d do a junior college game on Thursday night and a (small college) game on a Saturday.”

His love of officiating seems to have rubbed off on his brother, 29-year-old Bradford Toney of San Diego. Bradford, who works as a sales manager for a worldwide hotel chain, didn’t play college football, but is a diehard sports fan. He began working high school football games in California last year.

“He’s going to be good,” Brett said of his younger brother. “He’s the next one on the path, hopefully. He’s tall, slender and fast and looks the part.”

Perhaps the hardest part of adding a second job, Brett said, were the time demands on family. His wife, Ashley, a pharmacist, proved to be a staunch supporter from the outset.

“When I was dating her, she would come to high school games I was working, games played in 30-degree weather in Paragould, Arkansas, and sit in the stands with the parents (of the players),” Toney said. “I knew then she was a keeper.”

Freelancer Phil Stukenborg is a former staff writer and deputy sports editor for The Commercial Appeal. You can email him at philstukenborg@gmail.com

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Former Memphis QBs Brett Toney, Martin Hankins now football referees