Personalities

Home Personalities

Profiles and stories about officials and people close to officiating.

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,...

Soldier on After Tragedy

Ten-year-old Chris Stover wanted to be a soccer official, but the rules said he had to be 11. The assigner “felt sorry for him...

Frank DeFord, Longtime Supporter of Sports Officials, Dies At 78

We at Referee magazine and the National Association of Sports Officials are much saddened by the passing of Frank DeFord. Frank received accolades, honors...

Marc Of Distinction

He used to sit anonymously in the Silverado High School bleachers in Las Vegas during the mid-2000s, a bookish, kind man who could easily...

Referee Gets Creative to Fight Cancer

Lou Levine always teased one of his friends about his friend’s thick nest of black hair. Before the start of the basketball season a...

5 Minutes with Karen Preato

Hometown: Greensboro, N.C. Experience: Started officiating at the college level in 1998 and entered the D-I ranks in 2003. Currently works in the Atlantic 10, Atlantic...

Hometown: Hartford City, Ind. Experience: NCAA national coordinator of men’s basketball officiating; former coordinator of officials for the Mid-American Conference and Summit League; former consultant...

Officiating is a Family Affair

Nestled between the San Diego Bay and the scenic splendor of the coastal mountain foothills in Southern California are the sprawling sun-kissed expanses of...