Your worst call ever?

[Rooster]

Boys' freshman game, two-shot free throw. Lane violation by the shooter on the first throw. Ball goes out of bounds to the opponent because in my mind:

If the first or only violation is by the free thrower or a teammate, the ball becomes dead when the violation occurs and no point can be scored by that throw. The following out-of-bounds provisions apply IF no further free throws are to be administered:
a. If the violation occurs during a free throw for a personal foul, other than intentional or flagrant, the ball is awarded to the opponents for a throw-in from the designated out-of-bounds spot nearest the violation

Somehow I didn't see the if part of that penalty. Coach went ape-stuff!

[OrStBballRef]

Probably my 3-4th year in basketball I was doing a freshman 5 quarter game (game ends after 4, but they play a 5th Q with the reserves).

Game is tight the whole way between two rivals. PG for the home team late in 4Q gets bumped slightly and falls to the ground, but keeps his dribble going. It wasn't a foul, but for some reason once he hit the ground I blew the travel. Player, coach and fans were up in arms about it and what's weird was that I knew the rule, but for some reason still called in a travel.

For whatever reason, despite knowing the rule, I didn't want to reverse myself and call an inadvertant whistle so the call stuck. Next time down the court we are shooting FTs and I'm the trail. PG comes up to me and asks how was that a travel and I say "It wasn't I kicked the call." So he then yells to his coach across the court "Coach, he says he kicked the call!"

I guess I deserved that outburst across the court...consider it pennance. On the plus side I've never screwed up the travel rule like that again!

[buckrog64]

Had a 'dog pile' on the basketball and decided a jump ball was necessary. Of course by the time I blasted my whistle the ball has rolled out and is loose as a goose in front of God and everyone. In a gym of 400 people or so I was the only one who didn't know where the basketball actually was. Lesson learned.

[BillyMac]

Once continued a five second inbounding count into a ten second backcourt count, without "resetting" in between. Called the ten second violation after only seven seconds had ticked off the clock, ending up charging the irate coach with a technical foul, and only figured out what I had done wrong on the ride home.

Otherwise. I've had a perfect record over thirty-two years. No other mistakes. Perfect I tell you. Just perfect. You can look it up.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

You can look it up.

Where?

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by grunewar

Where?

Right here:

Your worst call ever?

[refprof]

must have been 10 yrs ago, at least.

JV game Lake Forest HS (IL).

i called a phantom foul on the center, it was his 5th.

it was Bill Cartwrite's son.

opps. sorry.

refprof

[Texref]

First year of reffing, intramurals, and I had a Blarge (didn't know the term at the time) with myself. I called the block b/c the defense didn't have position and the offense for lowering his shoulder and running the kid over. Don't remember the outcome, although I know no Ts.

In summerball one time I called a fan a dumbass and then ejected him for coming on the court after me!

[JWP]

Eighth grade boys game between two rival schools. I am with a partner who was literally working her first (and possibly last) game. She has called a couple of out of bounds, but other than that, her whistle is purely for decoration.

In overtime and tied, I look at the clock -- exactly 1:00 to go. Play is getting really physical inside, but nothing from my partner who is underneath. Suddenly, there is a loose ball, everybody is scrambling, bodies flying and a thought pops into my little pinhead ... "Get control!" So I call a very ticky-tack foul. I look up at the clock. There is a half-second to go. That 1:00 I saw was actually 10.0 seconds. Just a brutal, terrible call in that situation.

We go down to the other end, kid makes a free throw, game over. I feel like throwing up. Fortunately, the losing coach is a great guy and actually refs quite a bit. He actually put his arm around me and said "forgetaboutit." Bless his heart.

[Adam]

Way back when I was, well, less than 20, I was working one of my first half dozen games ever with a guy who had worked maybe one or two more games than I had. It was a middle school game, and we had a player get fouled and injured.

I convinced my partner that any player on the court could shoot the free throws when a player was too injured to shoot. I have no idea where I got that idea, but we went with it until we got back to our dorm room and looked it up.

[junruh07]

This is pretty easy for me. I was trying to explain to a coach during a live ball that a player can gather the ball and slide to a stop after diving on the floor. While I was talking, the other team stepped out of bounds. It was close, but pretty clear. Since I was trying to talk to the coach and not paying enough attention to what I was supposed to be doing, I don't blow my whistle.

[bainsey]

Originally Posted by Adam

Way back when I was, well, less than 20...

Wait, do intramurals count? I could post a novel of bad calls from those days. (Nothing is more challenging than officiating your peers, when you're barely an adult yourself.)

My favorite: I'm put into an "A" level game, which means varsity athletes from other sports. I'm the lead, and one big dude (former starting quarterback turned pitcher in his senior year) gets hammered by two guys during a lay-up. Easy foul call.

Except, I don't call it. Rationale: I couldn't tell which guy actually fouled him. The QB/P was pretty irate at me, and I don't blame him.

I call those fouls now, and get paid a little better than those days. I'm certain that old QB still barks at officials from time to time, but he gets paid a little better. He's now the head football coach at Old Dominion.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by bainsey

Gets hammered by two guys during a lay-up. I couldn't tell which guy actually fouled him. I call those fouls now.

The proverbial multiple foul?

[Pantherdreams]

Two bad call stories:

A) I was the other official. I was working a game where a buddy of mine coaches the home team. Best player on home team is referred to by his coach a Captain Fake Hustle. To avoid actually playing d he will stab and dive at balls he has no chance of getting or that are already out of bounds to make it look like he's working. Will step in as if taking a charge but bail out at any contact at all. Partner has warned him a couple of times about flopping. He's defending the ball as part of a trap. Defended player puts head and shoulders down and pivots hard ripping head/shoulders/ ball etc. Through the trap. Captain Fake Hustle goes down in a heap. Fans want a PC, partner blows whistle and calls a tech on the kid for flopping. Crowd goes nuts, kid stands up spits out a mouthful of blood and a tooth on partners' shoe. Gets teched up for unsportsmanlike conduct. Ruh-Roo Shaggy.

B) Was working down in the US at a girls tournament AAU. THey were apparently using NCAA W rules. I'ld only ever worked FIBA and some NFHS. Early in my first game team A is beng pressued in their backcourt. I call an 8 sec violation for not getting the ball pas the timeline. Everyone the gym starts freaking out. My partner runs in and reminds me that there is no such thing as a 8 sec back court violation in the States and for good measure makes sure to remind me there is no 10 either. No time violations at all in NCAA W for advancing the ball past the timeline. I laughed apologized to the coach, my bad. Inadvertent whistle.

[iref4him]

This is not the worst call ever made, but my toughest. I am a doctor. Two weeks ago a 31 year old man comes into my office because of a 10' fall. He thought he had broken his ribs. The CT scan showed he did break 4 ribs, but the CT scan showed something else. I had to look into this man's eyes, a husband and a father of 3 young children, and tell him that the CT scan showed he had lung cancer and it has spread to his adrenal glands and kidneys. Not a very good prognosis. It put all my officiating into perspective. Great calls, toughest calls, easy calls, and worse calls. When you tell a man that his life is over, basically, my worst calls in any games did not compare to this call. Moral of the story, keep the game in perspective, work hard, and count your blessings. I counted mine - my faith, family, friends, and health. I am able to officiate still is an added blessing - great calls and worse calls.