Personalities
Home Personalities
Profiles and stories about officials and people close to officiating.
Ed Hochuli On Balance
It takes extraordinary strength to take charge of a Super Bowl – strength of will, of desire and of conviction. Ed Hochuli has done...
A Lifetime Earning Respect: Jon Bible’s Officiating Journey
In a 40-year officiating stretch, Jon Bible hit some mighty high peaks — seven College World Series assignments as a baseball umpire and three...
Ron Foxcroft: The Official Behind the Whistle
When people in officiating circles hear the name Ron Foxcroft, they think of the man who developed the Fox 40 whistle. Comparatively few realize...
Skokie to the Super Bowl: Jerry Markbreit
Walking Away
Jerry Markbreit doesn't know what he's going to do next.
He does know that when the 1998 NFL football season ends, he'll walk off...
Jim Garman: The Best Umpire in College Baseball
Relying on faith and family, Jim Garman has found success throughout his life. In umpiring, he has 50 NCAA postseason assignments, including eight trips...
Before the Booth: Dean Blandino’s Rise as Football’s Replay Authority
Dean Blandino used an understanding of technology and the NFL’s philosophy of instant replay to rise from an intern with no officiating experience in...
Solid Stance: Gerry Davis Profile
The honor hardly could be more fitting.
OK, perhaps having a behind-the-plate stance named after you — as Gerry Davis does — isn’t technically an...
The Full Monty
Look at Monty McCutchen on the court, and you see an NBA referee near the top of his game. A veteran in his 16th...
No Doubting Sarah Thomas
As the game clock counted down that cold Dec. 9, 2006, night at Jackson Memorial Stadium in Mississippi, so was football official Sarah Thomas’...
Paul Tamberino: Nothing Dirty, Nothing Cheap
For two years in a row, Paul Tamberino was voted the MLS’ top referee. As one of America’s premier soccer officials, he also represented...
Doug Harvey: The Umpire’s Umpire
And for 31 National League seasons, that's just what Doug Harvey did before retiring after the 1992 season. His passion for the game defined...
Two Right Hands Too Late: Lew Eskin and the Willie Classen Tragedy
November 23,1979 — Referee Lew Eskin stops the fight seconds into the tenth round. Middleweight Willie Classen has heard his last bell.
It was March...
Major Miner: Jay Miner’s Remarkable Life
Pumping the brakes on a remarkable life during which he used to literally rocket close to 300 miles per hour, Jay Miner takes stock...
Violet Palmer: The Road to NBA History
OCTOBER 31, 1997. HALLOWEEN. Traditionally the night for uncommon events. The perfect night for Violet Palmer to walk onto the court in Vancouver and...
Barry Mano: Interview from Referee’s 25th Anniversary Issue
“We’ve learned ... Hitting people over the head with a two-by-four doesn’t do anything but knock them out, and then they wake up and...
Don Koharski: Growth, Grit and a Life in NHL Officiating
Beloved by his peers on the NHL staff, who refer to the veteran as “Koho” and “Big Ko,” Don Koharski has compiled one of...
Dave Parry: The Best of Both Worlds
When Dave Parry refereed intramural basketball games at Wabash College in the mid 1950's for $1 a game, he recalls, "It paid for hamburgers,...
Harry Wendelstedt: He Touched All the Bases
One would be hard-pressed to find a position in professional umpiring that Harry Wendelstedt hasn't held. After a colorful, workhorse-like career and a laundry...
Steve Javie: One Stand-Up Guy
Watch Steve Javie work a basketball game and you'll recognize him as an official who is clearly in control. The same can be said...
The Most Recognizable Referee In the World
You may not know why you know this man. But you do. You've likely seen his image flashed on some sports program or in...
The Joan Powell Effect
Joan Powell has been everything in volleyball — player, coach, official, conference coordinator, national coordinator. And she has excelled at every level.How influential? How...
Robert Watts: Back From The Blindside
Veteran football official Robert Watts was recently elected president of the Austin (Texas) Football Officials Association (AFOA). It is all part of moving on...
Bernice Gera: First Lady Umpire
Some months ago, in our early correspondence with Bernice Gera we received a letter signed "Bernice Gera - First Lady Umpire." We asked her...
Jim Burr: The No-Nonsense Icon of College Basketball Officiating
When it comes to top-notch college basketball refs, few stand as tall as Jim Burr. Sure, some consider him a hard-ass, but there’s no...