Referee Icons
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...
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...
Kari Seitz: The Most Decorated Referee in U.S. Soccer History
With an unmatched resumé of soccer officiating accomplishments, Kari Seitz retired as the most decorated international referee in U.S. Soccer history. From a young...
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...
Like Father, Like Sons
Politics had the Adamses. Big band music had the Dorseys. Acting had the Barrymores. And officiating has the Crawfords.
Umpire Henry “Shag” Crawford retired in...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
June Courteau: A Lasting Legacy in Women’s Basketball Officiating
A well-read woman with an insatiable desire to cram yet more knowledge into her mind was sitting poolside at an Aruba timeshare dwelling in the summer of 2015. Simply reading doesn’t...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
Bill McCreary: NHL’s Gold Standard Ice Man
Bill McCreary has a passion for hockey, and it shows. After working three Olympic gold medal games and more Stanley Cup Finals games than...
Art McNally: Zebra Chief
Zebra Chief. That’s the name of the boat presented to Art McNally honoring him for decades of service to the National Football League. Paid...
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...
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...
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...