[Jimgolf]

Interesting article about Massachusetts officials and how they got into the game and why they continue to officiate, from the South Boston Enterprise:
http://www.enterprisenews.com/articl...s/sports03.txt

Excerpt:

When he started officiating high school basketball games in the 1970s, Billy McGowan didn't envision himself staying with it for an extended period of time.

“Never. No way,” said the Taunton resident, now in his 37th year as a referee. “But it's something that just gets in your blood after you do it long enough. It's like playing, so to speak. You want to keep doing it.”

Don Fredericks of Stoughton knew he couldn't walk away from sports after finishing his coaching career at Braintree High School, so he became a basketball official in 1992.

“I couldn't just do nothing,” said the 62-year-old Fredericks. “The next step for me was officiating. I had the knowledge. My strength was in running a game. It's a wonderful profession. I love it.”

Abington native Jim Rourke was an offensive lineman for three teams in the NFL after playing at Boston College.

After retiring from the pro ranks, Rourke served as an assistant football coach at Boston College High and Curry College before turning to officiating.

“It's a great way of being associated with sports but not coaching it,” said Rourke, who has been a basketball official for 10 years. “You do it because you love sports. It's a way of helping kids. You do it because you feel like you're giving back something.”