To all those senior officials out there who have worked basketball for "several" years. :) What did you use before the old Fox 40 came along?

The Fox 39?

With Jurassic, it was probably the Fox 2.

Here's a pic of JR as a lad:

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/nba0019l.jpg

Black plastic "Acme Thunderer".....then switched to the Orange/Black plastic "Gonia Special" dog training whistle. Lou Pitt, an NCAA official, told me about them and my dentist, who trains hunting dogs on the side told me where I could order them. (That's about 20 - 25 years ago). The FOX I've used probably the last 10 years. :D

wl

<img src="http://www.illinoishighschoolsports.com/ubb/graemlins/laugh.gif"><img src="http://www.illinoishighschoolsports.com/ubb/graemlins/laugh.gif"><img src="http://www.illinoishighschoolsports.com/ubb/graemlins/laugh.gif">

Acme Thunderer

Can't remember
 

Was it Acme Thunder or Thunderer? I always thought it was an Acme Thunder.

Anyway, all whistles at that time had a cork pea inside them. I must say that it did take some effort to learn to use that whistle without getting a trilllll, or rolling type sound. Add to that was the fact that once the pea got wet, it would stick to the inside of the whistle and make it even harder to use, not to mention that after use, the pea would dry and stick to the inside. If you watch some classic games on TV, you will see the ref shaking his whistle or hitting it with his hand which basically broke the pea loose.

When the Fox40 came out, it rendered the skill required to use the old whistle useless.

goose

It was the Thunderer. Story time. I was in a gym substitute teaching PE about 10 or 11 years ago. One of the other teachers saw it around my neck and said she was so proud that she had the loudest whistle on earth to use on the playground. I asked what it was and she said, "An ACME Thunderer." I said, "Go get it and let's have a contest." We shut the gym doors. She blew the Thunderer. I blew the Fox 40 classic. She hung her head in defeat! Had a similar conversation with the most arrogant principal I have ever known a few weeks later. He was wearing a metal whistle with a rubber mouth guard. He saw mine and asked me what it was. He said his was loudest in the world. Same test. He muttered something about it not having a pea in it and walked away. I love that old Fox 40. I used it this morning when I was letting my gordon setter run in a field.

The metal Acme Thunderer with a rubber protective grip on the mouthpiece. And that darn pea kept getting stuck!

That's funny.

As Sister Domenic DeNucci (Sr) says.........

Please ask Dan to follow your example also, if it's not too inconvenient for both of you.
:D