The chain crew at work during a Rutgers Scarlet Knights football game. Athletic heritage See also History of Rutgers University Rutgers was among the first American institutions to engage in intercollegiate athletics and participated

In American football, the chain crew (commonly known as the "chain gang") are assistants to the referee who handle the first down measuring chain and the down indicator box. American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with In American football, an official is a person who has responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game The members of the chain crew who operate the measuring chain are called rod men and the person who works the down indicator box is called the box man.

The down indicator box is a pole with a sign indicating what the current down is. First Down redirects here For the Prison Break episode see First Down (Prison Break episode. Before every play from scrimmage, it is placed on the sideline to mark the current line of scrimmage. A play from scrimmage is the activity of the games of Canadian football and American football during which one team tries to advance the ball or to score and the In American and Canadian football a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line crossing the football field across its narrower dimension beyond

The first down measuring chain is used to measure the yards that the offensive team needs to gain a first down. It is a 10-yard metal chain with poles attached to each end. The poles, usually called "the sticks", are almost always covered in bright orange padding.

When a team gains a first down, one of the rod men places one end of the chain on the sideline parallel to the spot of the ball. The other rod man then stretches the chain out to mark the first down line. To ensure an accurate measurement, a clip is usually attached to the chain on the closest 5-yard mark on the field.

The chains will be brought directly onto the field whenever the referee needs an accurate measurement to determine if a first down has been made. A team may also request an accurate measurement to determine how far they have to reach for the first down.

Auxiliary chain crew

For professional and college football games, an auxiliary chain crew operates on the opposite side of the field. College football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, Colleges and military academies Here, another "stick" and down indicator box is used so that players and officials can also look at the other side of the field to know where the first down line and the line of scrimmage is, respectively. The auxiliary chain crew also includes the drive start indicator, which is placed at the beginning of a team's drive and stays there until they lose possession. This indicator is only used for statistical purposes to calculate the distance of each drive. It looks similar to a "stick", but it has an arrow (or occasionally a large "X") that points in the direction the offensive team is going.

Members of the chain crew are usually picked by the offices of the home team instead of the league or conference that they play in.