Officiating in History
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Tales of big games, big calls and the officials that worked them.
“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...
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...
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...
Officiating In History: Nolan Ryan’s 7th No-Hitter – May 1, 1991
Texas Rangers' pitcher Nolan Ryan felt every one of his 44 years early in the evening of May 1, 1991. Worse, he was about...
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: 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...
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...
Inside “The Comeback” – Buffalo vs. Houston 1993
Had the now ubiquitous “Win Probability Chart” been a thing in 1993, the Buffalo Bills and their fans would not have been happy with what it showed at halftime of their AFC...
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...
The Shot
As an exhausted Tom Clark settled back into the aisle seat of his Delta Airlines flight the morning of March 29, 1992, a slight...
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...
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...
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...
Favre’s MNF Dad Game – Dec. 22, 2003
When the 2003 NFL season opened, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre had already pretty much assured himself a place in the Pro Football...
Bobby Knight Throws A Chair
Bobby Knight’s molten rage briefly bubbled beneath the surface until, like Vesuvius, he erupted in a pyrotechnic fury.
The Indiana basketball coach blew his top...
The Earthquake Game: 1989 World Series Game 3 San Francisco vs. Oakland
When the 1989 San Francisco quake hit, baseball stopped as a city tended to its wounds. It was the only time in history a World Series was...
Mayhem in Cleveland: Browns vs. Jaguars Dec. 16, 2001
It started out as a feel-good day that would eventually take a serious turn for the worse. There was no way of telling that...
The Eras of Our Ways
Ron Luciano, who died in 1995, was one of the classic arbiters and characters of the 1970s in professional sports. An AL umpire for...
The Ice Bowl: Green Bay vs. Dallas Dec. 31, 1967
The Northland Hotel’s cheerful wakeup message belied what had settled in during the night.
“Good morning,” the answering service chirped. “It is 16 degrees below zero and...
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 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...
Emmett Ashford – a rare personality
From the minors to the majors, Emmett Ashford was an umpire who had style. His career was typified by an incident in his first...
Locked Out
Late on the evening of Sept. 24, 2012, three men enjoy a nightcap at a New York City hotel. On the TV, the Seattle...
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...
