Personal Stories

Personal Stories

Sirmons on the Mount

By Michael Clark Published in Referee Magazine, April 2025 A sk any aspiring NCAA basketball official what the greatest assignment could be and 100% of them will...

Care-Frontation

By Dan Ronan bob Delaney, a retired NBA referee and the Southeastern Conference special advisor for officiating development and performance, is one of the officiating...

FONZY

By Dan Ronan major League Baseball umpire Alfonso Márquez was driving April 21, 2005, to an early season game in Tampa, Fla., when he got...

Referee Voices: Bert Smith

As part of the 2021 NASO Sports Officiating Summit @ Home, NCAAM basketball referee Bert Smith detailed for the virtual audience his career path...

One and Nearly Done

G was both excited and nervous as I took the field for my first high school game in late summer 2014. It was my third year...

It’s Black and White

H ave you ever wondered why officials wear black and white stripes? In the early days of football, referees wore white dress shirts, bow ties...

No Wake Zone

I don’t know if Little League Baseball, small-fry wrestling or other youth sports build or reveal character, but I do believe in the innocence of children. That belief...

Fighting The Pandemic With Skills Learned As a Referee

As a member of the Professional Referee Organization (PRO), I had the privilege of working the Women’s World Cup in France in 2019. Being...

Silent Stands Teach Us A Valuable Lesson

The 2020 New Mexico Activities Association (NMAA) State Basketball Championships were able to conclude last March, crowning 10 boys’ and girls’ state champions. The...