Officiating in History
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Tales of big games, big calls and the officials that worked them.
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...
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,...
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...
YOU ARE THERE: Underdog Upset – App. State beats Michigan – Sept. 1, 2007
The giant was going to slay Jack and burn his beanstalk. Goliath was going to smother David and obliterate his slingshot. The cheetah was going to bring down the gazelle and...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
MLB umpire Steve Rippley ejects 17 during one ’84 game
It may happen that an umpire can go through an entire career without a “hat trick.” That’s baseball parlance for ejecting three participants in...
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...
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...
Bronx Brawl – Yankees vs. Orioles – May 19, 1998
Over the years, MLB has seen its share of bench-clearing brawls. Once the benches clear, and the bullpens empty, it is usually a time...
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...
Our Founding Story – How Referee Magazine Came To Be
It’s 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...
You Are There: Ass in the Jackpot
By Dan Ronan
Nearly nine years after retired MLB umpire Tom Hallion and former New York Mets manager Terry Collins engaged in a heated, often...