It was on the drive from his hotel in Greenville, S.C., that the thought struck Jeff Akers. He was on his way to officiate a Clemson football game at Memorial Stadium, also known as Death Valley, in front of 85,000 of the most ardent fans in the country.

“I thought, ‘This is a long way from doing a Brookline High JV game on a Monday afternoon,’ ” he said.