History of 3-person officiating
 

I read Referee Magazine, and remember that a "Did You Know?" blurb on page 13 of the February 2018 edition stated that a "three-man officiating plan" was adopted for high school basketball in 1895. Obviously, most states started using 3-person crews consistently much later, but this piqued my interest in learning the history of 3-person officiating.

NBA experimented with 3-person in the 1978-79 season, but only adopted it permanently 10 years later, due to cost concerns by owners at the time. The 1988 article from the New York times about this change mentioned that college basketball had used 3-person "for the past several seasons".

Does anyone know anything more specific about when 3-person was adopted in college men's basketball, college women's basketball, or in your local state (province for Canadians, or the equivalent for any international users)? For the record, FIBA only adopted 3-person in 2000. Page 8 of the 2017-18 CCA Manual shows that the 2-person manual for men's basketball was published between 1965 and 2002, and page 10 shows that the 3-person manual has been published since the 1978-79 season (the time of the NBA's first experiment). The first 3-person women's manual was published in 2015, but 3-person may have been used before the manuals were published. I'd like to hear more about this topic from all you history buffs.

NCAA-W has obviously been using 3-man since long before 2015.

It's obvious, but JRut said that he worked a 2-person women's scrimmage back when he was a women's college official. Maybe some conferences (below the Division 1 level, of course) worked 2-person, some did 3-person, and it only got standardized later. That there are manuals available probably just means that the system was put in place by then, but it does not preclude that system from being used before that point.

Right now, MD (MPSSAA) is 3-person for varsity games, except for games served by Board 12 and some BBOWS games. Playoffs is all 3-person in MD. All DC public, charter, and major private (WCAC/IAC/MAC/ISL) games are 3-person, and VHSL has adopted 3-person for varsity games too.

"Scrimmage" < > "Game"

I started officiating in 2001 (in Virginia) and 3-man was being used. When you say "the VHSL has adopted 3-person for varsity games", I'm not sure what you're trying to say, because 2-person was still being used at the varsity level after that point also.

I meant the 1st time that it was approved to be implemented. If I meant 3 person and no 2 person, I would have said "exclusively adopted". I would be confident in saying that the NCAA adopted 3-person exclusively on the men's side some time around 2003 at the latest, because the CCA 2-person manual has not been published since then.

I am not going to climb up into my attic but I can attest to the following:

The NBCUSC (National Basketball Committee of the United States and Canada:
The precursor to the NFHS and NCAA Men's Committees) had Three-Person Mechanics in its Officials Manuals from at least the mid-1960s.

MTD, Sr.

It's True, It's True ...
 

Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. officiated the first two person game ever in 1891. His partner was James Naismith. Naismith was the referee. As the umpire, it was Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.'s job to climb up a ladder to get the ball out of the peach basket after every goal. It was supposed to be a three person game but Abner Doubleday got stuck in traffic.

LOL!

MTD, Sr.

Billy, as a kid in the gym, weren't you watching that game? You were yelling that they had to get rid of the jump ball after every basket.

I think that it was Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.'s father who officiated the 1st game with Naismith. Mark may be old, but he's not THAT old!

I know that the PIAA can be slow on the uptake (only implementing a rule on transfers this year, still making officials wear striped shirts for volleyball, and still allowing collared shirts in basketball when all other states have gone to V-necks), so I'm interested in when PA chose to put 3 officials on the floor for a varsity game for the 1st time. Idaho will put 3 on the floor for the state tournament this coming season, and AZ is phasing in 3-person this season.

When will you cease spouting useless minutiae and find a way to gain some much needed floor experience.
Are we supposed to be impressed by your recitations of trivialities?
Do you think any of this establishes you as an effective official?

More listening, less talk!!!

You're not going to get a lot of responses. We're more interested tangible rules, mechanics, and play-calling discussions.

I worked a 3-person varsity game in PA in 1993.

Well, I intended this as an interesting side story to keep discussion going on the forum until basketball season proper begins. Thank you to the contributors on this thread so far.

Rich, you really must have moved around! You live somewhere in the Midwest (MN), based on your current posts, and mentioned that you were in TN until recently. Maybe you were in PA as well for a work-related assignment (or graduate school). If PA had 3-person in the 1990s, they must have been only slightly behind the curve (NCAA adopted 3-person in the 70s, first written evidence is the 78-79 CCA men'should manual, and NBA adopted 3-person for good just before PA) in that aspect.