Officiating in History
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Tales of big games, big calls and the officials that worked them.
MLB umpire Steve Rippley ejects 17 during one â84 game
It may happen that an umpire can go through an entire career without a âhat trick.â Thatâs baseball parlance for ejecting three participants in...
Hammerin’ Hank 715
It was perhaps the most sacred of all of baseballâs sacred records, but when Hank Aaron launched long ball number 715, he became baseballâs...
A History of Strikes and Lockouts
Over the years, strikes or lockouts have impacted the officials of every major sport.
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abor disputes have been a part of American life since shortly...
Eight Is Enough: 1985 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship
You would think after officiating more than 166 minutes of a soccer game, the sweat-soaked officials had put in a full day and would...
You Are There: UCLA Streak Snapped
There are only three âstreaksâ in sports that matter: DiMaggioâs 56-game hitting streak, Ripkenâs 2,632 consecutive game âiron manâ streak and UCLAâs 88-game winning...
Emmett Ashford â 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...
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...
John Wooden: An Interview
You might wonder why a magazine for sports officials interviewed a coach, even one as legendary as John Wooden.
Through our decades of experience,...
“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 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...
Behind the Scenes on the Legendary Woodson Interception
On Oct. 25, 1997, Michigan Stateâs Todd Schultz took the third-and-long snap in Spartan Stadium with a little more than two minutes left in...
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 itâs 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...
Umpire George Magerkurth Ruled With An Iron Fist
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Umpire George Magerkurth ruled with an iron fist, which he wasnât above wielding when challenged on a baseball diamond.
Magerkurth worked 2,808 regular-season games and...
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...
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...
Our Founding Story – How Referee Magazine Came To Be
Itâs often been said that if one has a problem, one has three choices: whine about it, ignore it or do something about it.
Lucky for the world of sports officiating, Barry Mano...
John Hirschbeck Reminisces on MLB Playoff No-Hitter
It is Oct. 6, 2010, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. The Phillies are facing the Cincinnati Reds in the first game of a...
Inside “The Comeback” – Buffalo vs. Houston 1993
Had the now ubiquitous âWin Probability Chartâ 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...
Infamous Bartman Foul Ball – Chicago Cubs vs. Florida Marlins – October 14, 2003
Chicago Cubs fans were left numb by a disastrous 2002 campaign, which saw the club finish fifth in the NL Central Division and 28...
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...
Favreâs MNF Dad Game â 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...
The âStuffâ Dreams Are Made Of: NC State vs. Houston â April 4, 1983
Time was ticking down to a precious few seconds in the 1983 NCAA menâs basketball tournament championship game between Houston and North Carolina State..
Underdog...
Behind the Scenes: Super Bowl Saturday 1997
The officials who worked Super Bowl XXXI have earned well-deserved praise from supervisors and fellow officials. Their strong performance was the product of hard...