Officiating in History
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Tales of big games, big calls and the officials that worked them.
The ‘Stuff’ Dreams Are Made Of: NC State vs. Houston – April 4, 1983
Time was ticking down to a precious few seconds in the 1983 NCAA men’s basketball tournament championship game between Houston and North Carolina State..
Underdog...
Hoosiers – Milan vs. Muncie: 1954 Indiana State Basketball Championship
Milan High School, enrollment 161, defeated the favored Bearcats of Muncie Central, 32-30, to win the 1954 Indiana state basketball championship. Plump’s shot with three seconds...
“I’ll Never Forget”: Officiating Legends Recall Their Most Memorable Game
It is June 14, 1998, at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Chicago Bulls are playing the Utah Jazz in Game 6...
You Are There: Cal vs. the Stanford Band (November 20, 1982)
By Leon Davis
No, the Pac-10 title was not on the line, but when Stanford's Cardinal traveled to Berkeley to take on California's Bears it...
Umpire George Magerkurth Ruled With An Iron Fist
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Umpire George Magerkurth ruled with an iron fist, which he wasn’t above wielding when challenged on a baseball diamond.
Magerkurth worked 2,808 regular-season games and...
One Second Left: Celtics vs. Suns 1976 NBA Finals
Richie Powers recalls that the biggest call he had to make in his nearly 25-year NBA officiating career came at the Boston Garden on...
US vs. USSR 1972 Olympic Men’s Basketball Final
Peter Rodgers never figured that by opening a gift, he’d close the book on a lingering controversy. The birthday present Rodgers received should, at the very least,...
College Football Officiating at 150
DYK? Referees did not make all rulings in college football games until 1876.
As college football marks its 150th anniversary this season, it is only...
The Immaculate Reception: Pittsburgh vs. Oakland Dec. 23, 1972
Fred Swearingen's world had slowed down by 1998 and he was into a peaceful life in Carlsbad, Calif. His serene existence when we interviewed him...
You Are There: Cooney Launches the Rocket
Then-Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens charges at umpire Terry Cooney after Cooney ejected the fiery fireballer during game four of the 1990 ALCS.
AL...
You Are There: UCLA Streak Snapped
There are only three “streaks” in sports that matter: DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak, Ripken’s 2,632 consecutive game “iron man” streak and UCLA’s 88-game winning...
The Game Of The Century – Notre Dame vs. Michigan State 1966
In a game that featured number one against number two — Notre Dame vs. Michigan State — college football fans were highly anticipating which...
Port of Calls
Having done hundreds of college basketball games in their officiating careers, a pregame walk-through usually is no big deal for NCAA Division I men’s...
You Are There: Boise State’s Statue of Liberty vs. Oklahoma 2007
Some eyebrows were raised when Boise State was selected for the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos were a perfect 12-0 during the 2006 season, but some questioned the caliber...
Highest-Scoring Game in NCAA History: Troy State vs. DeVry Jan. 12, 1992
Defense went out the window when Troy State and DeVry Institute engaged in the highest-scoring game in NCAA history. Fifty-one three-pointers by one team are just part of...
Mike Carey’s All-Time Memorable Game
It is Feb. 3, 2008, in Glendale, Ariz. The New England Patriots are attempting to become the second undefeated team in pro football history,...
You Are There: Trumbull Upsets Taiwan in 1989 LLWS Final
If it’s David versus Goliath stories you are looking for, you need to go no further than the 1989 Little League World Series championship game between Taiwan and Trumbull, Conn.
And...
The Pine Tar Incident: Brett v. McClelland – July 24, 1983
As Tim McClelland walked toward his gate at New York’s LaGuardia International Airport the evening of July 24, 1983, the first-year AL umpire had to pass...
Nolan Ryan’s Final Hit Batter: August 4, 1993
In his illustrious 27-year career, Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan hit 158 batters.
“He did not have a reputation as a headhunter,” said retired...
Partner’s Heart Attack on the Court is Never Forgotten
It is Aug. 20, 2002 and the WNBA is becoming firmly entrenched as a professional league, now in the playoffs of its sixth season....
Webber’s Timeout: Michigan vs. UNC 1993 NCAA Championship
The 1993 NCAA men’s basketball championship game was one of the most famous college hoops game ever. Why? Because the new guard — Michigan’s...
DQ’d: Tyson vs. Holyfield June 28, 1997
Five days after ending the notorious Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield fight with a Tyson disqualification, Mills Lane is holed up in his Nevada District Court...
Behind the Scenes on the Legendary Woodson Interception
On Oct. 25, 1997, Michigan State’s Todd Schultz took the third-and-long snap in Spartan Stadium with a little more than two minutes left in...
The Glory Road Game
Thornton Jenkins had so much more than an NCAA basketball championship game to officiate when Texas Western tipped off against the University of Kentucky...
