There are times Chuck Hulce and his officiating peers want to say what's really on their minds.

You know, just a subtle response for high school football coaches who rant and rave at officials from the sidelines.

''Some coaches think it's OK to question us and say that was a bad call,'' said Whitehall's Hulce, who's an umpire on his crew. ''I wonder what a coach would say if an official turned around and said, 'That was poor play selection.' Of course, we'd be accused of being unprofessional.

''Officials have to learn to let it roll off their backs. It's easier for me because I've been on the other side.''

Of course, Hulce and his peers prefer to keep their personal thoughts to themselves while on the job.

Unlike most officials, Hulce has been a head football coach and understands the emotions that can be triggered on the sidelines by some calls.

Hulce uses that coaching experience to his advantage while performing his Friday night duties. After all, he used to be one of those coaches doing some ranting and raving.

''It always looked easy to be out there,'' Hulce said about officiating. ''My first game as an official was Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart and Baldwin back when only four officials were out there. I found out in a hurry that it wasn't so easy.''

Hulce the coach

Hulce was head football coach at Montague from 1971 to 1976 and 1984 to 1985. He also coached at Jackson Northwest for two years and Whitehall for three seasons.

Hulce's best seasons came at Montague with undefeated squads in 1972 and 1984.

As a coach, Hulce admits officials' calls would stir his emotions.

Ironically, Hulce especially didn't like Frank Lehman's call one night but now the two serve on the same officiating crew.

''We tried to block a punt,'' recalled Hulce, who is now a physical education and health teacher at Whitehall Middle School. ''I felt our kid was blocked into the punter. Frank saw it differently. It was one of the few tirades I had. But in the end, Frank was right.''

Overall, Hulce said younger coaches typically do a lot of venting at officials, while the veteran coaches mature and put things in better perspective.

''I was an assistant for three years before I became a head coach,'' Hulce said. ''I was young and brash when I started out.''

Hulce also knows the pressure coaches are under, especially in this era with the push to make the popular state playoffs.

''I admire anybody who wants to be a head football coach now,'' Hulce said. ''They give up their summers. It's a lot of time and not a lot of things monetarily for that.''

Hulce still stays active in coaching now as a middle school football coach in Whitehall. He likes teaching the game to kids that age.

''The kids are enthused and energized,'' said Hulce, a rabid Michigan fan who still has season tickets to Wolverine games. ''We can mold them.''

Teaching kids about giving their best effort and having fun are Hulce's main points in coaching these days.

A banner in his office puts it all in perspective: ''You are not finished when you lose. You are finished when you quit.''

Hulce the official

Hulce has been a registered official for 26 years. He started as a wrestling official and now works only football games.

Hulce graduated in 1964 from Ann Arbor High School (now called Pioneer) where he was a two-way tackle on the football team.

Hulce said officiating seemed like a good way to give something back to the sport of football he's always loved.

Today, Hulce works on a crew with Ron Hansen, Doug Hanna, Dave Cotter, Lehman and substitute Dale Schreuder. They often travel to games in a motor home.

''I really enjoy the guys I'm working with,'' Hulce said. ''We're from different walks of life. Frank Lehman knows the rules inside and out. He brings up odd situations and we try to figure them out.''

Hulce has key responsibilities as an umpire -watching for holding, linemen down field on pass plays, indicating whether a ball is tipped on a pass, spotting the ball on every play and walking off penalties.

The umpire also is right near the line of scrimmage in the thick of the action.

''I like that,'' Hulce said. ''You are close to the game. You can't daydream or relax or you will be picking yourself up off the ground. Most kids who run into you will say, 'I'm sorry.' You don't expect to hear that on a football field.''

Hulce said he's flagged only one coach for getting out of line in a game. The hardest part of officiating, according to Hulce, is not taking things too personally on the field.

''Once a coach steps over the line there are consequences to pay,'' Hulce said. ''Having been on the other side, I know coaches get caught up in the game and action. You have to be understanding when they start to question things.''

Hulce said holding is still the toughest call to make in football when players are battling in the trenches. He remembers calling holding in a big game one night four or five times -one call was confirmed in a newspaper photo that ran on Saturday morning.

''The coach said, 'My kids don't hold,' '' Hulce said. ''I said, 'I'm not imagining it.' I don't call holding until I see the jersey come out. The coach later asked the kid about it and he said he was holding. The coach called me back and apologized. I thought that was pretty nice of him.''

Hulce is concerned about the officiating shortage and would like to see more young people enter the ranks. He also thinks officials are better qualified today, thanks to training sessions that take place.

JoAnn Hulce said her husband seems to view football differently as an official.

''When he was coaching, people in the stands would question this and question that,'' said JoAnn, an Ohio native who is still loyal to Ohio State. ''Now, it's not nearly the pressure and the enjoyment is still there. They take the game seriously, but they have fun at it.''

One time, Chuck Hulce and his crew members got a chuckle returning from a game in Holton.

''Ron Hansen said he wanted the radio on to listen to Jim Moyes and Gene Young do their wrap-up show,'' Hulce said. ''Jim said, 'We don't have a score from Holton yet, but I understand Ron Hansen once again carried the rest of his crew for the whole game.'

''It was set up by Ron before the game. Now, that's a standing joke. We tell Hansen that we carried him again.''