My Dad officiated one of our football games when I was in HS. When he told the assignor I was attending there he was told "That's OK. I have seen these two teams...your son's school needs all the help it can get." :eek:

Then he added that he trusted the crew to do a professional job and the game needed a strong crew.

Still didn't like the wise crack :p

I hope I look that good at 55! I don't at 54....... :(

I graduated from high school in 1969; I was a two time varsity letterman in basketball. My highs school's varsity basketball coach coached two more years. Our school dominated our league, winninng 15 league championhips (I played on two of those championship teams) in the 21 years that my coach coached there. Our school also finished second four times (I played on one of those teams) during those 21 years.

I have not officiated a basketball game in the Youngstown area since the 1986-87 season, and even today I would not officiate any basketball game involving my high school because even today there would be people in the stands from my high school and from certain schools in our league that would recognize me from my high school championship seasons. And I didn't even start, :eek:!

Some people would also associate me with my sister who was a stellar high school golfer (I wasn't too bad myself) and later the dominate amatuer female golfer in the Youngstown area after she returned home after college.

I might do a girls' JV basketball game involving my high school but that would be the extent of it.

One has to remember that I never started completing Schedule C's until 1982 and my wife and I were first married and living in Glendale, California, when I received an telephone call from the Secretary of the Trumbull Co. Bkb. Off. Assn. (Warren, Ohio, and I am still a member of this association even though the last time I attended a meeting was in Nov. 1986) telling me that one of our veteran members had just been audited by the IRS. A fan who didn't like his officiating turned him into the IRS and he had to pay over $1,000 in back taxes, interest, and fines. And this wasn't even Mafia payback because he wasn't in the Mafia, :p; but I am, :p.

I could go on with other stories about conflict of interest, but it really is not worth it even when you make the correct call and it goes in "your" school's favor. Remember: No good deed goess unpunished.

MTD, Sr.

For you college guys have you ever officiated at your alma mater?

One of my interesting conflict of interest stories.

I started officiating women's college basketball in 1974 while attending the University of Miami (yes, the one in Florida) where my sister was also attending and playing on the women's golf team.

Back then I was the first male to officiate women's college basketball in the State of Florida. During my first two years of officiating I officiated two of UM's home games due to a last minute cancelation. But during the three years I officiated women's college basketball in Florida I officiated UM on the road any where for four to six times a year. Every AD knew my situation and yet would still assign me games involving UM.

The best story involved a Saturday afternoon away game that I officiated where my partner called the first foul an UM's shooting guard. I proceeded to over the course of the remainder of the game called four more fouls on this shooting guard, thereby fouling her out of the game. Our dinner date that evening was very awkward. :p

MTD, Sr.

You dawg. :D Great story Mark, thank you for sharing.

We dated off and on all through her college career.

MTD, Sr.