Sooooo.................... In this entertaining world of instant satisfaction, I was sortakinda sad to watch, even though it was a great moment, Derek Jeter win a game at Yankee Stadium in his final at bat in his final home game of a great career....an incredible career. A fitting ending to a great ambassador to the game........yet it took me to someone else I know...........who had a phenomenal career as a sports official........someone I count as a good friend........and a passionate man of character for the game he loved. Many, if not all of you, know my love for sports officiating over some 3 decades now in high school sports........no more fun and mental R and R from the pressures of work, etc., than to get on the court, the field with high school athletes trying to do good things for their alma mater. And it has been fun to be on the court with some great athletes and also some very talented officials in all the sports I enjoy (basketball, baseball, softball, and volleyball)......some very, very, very talented officials. One of these characters that has an ability to make an impact is someone who officiated at the highest pinnacle one can attain as a collegiate officiate - to referee The Final Four and to get tabbed to be in the NCAA Basketball Championship Game and even moreso, to be tasked with being the Referee in charge of the 3 man crew in The NCAA Championship Game. Such was that larger-than-life character by the name of Jim Stupin. Most of you sports fans know him as one of the three referees on the court for the infamous Michigan Fab Five Championship Game where Chris Webber was called for a T for making that ill fated requested when they had no time outs left and it helped decide the game.......... but his legacy as a collegiate official, in the eyes of Division I coaches, is such that he was voted as one of the top three officials, IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME, that they would want officiating their championship game - such was his character, his integrity, and his passion for wanting officials to do it for the right reason or dont do it at all! We lost this gentle giant to cancer......cancer knows no bounds, no care for who you are......it is what it is.....and he had been battling for the past year plus.....and lost that battle this morning. What I truly enjoyed about this character, who is considered one of the best collegiate referees in the history of the game, is that he graced Sitka, Alaska for several years as a participating clinician to help the officials in SE Alaska get better at this craft, at this avocation of officiating. He did it freely. You bet he commanded attention and substantial income to be a clinician, yet for SE Alaska - he did it for free........he got no compensation other than the fun of coming to Sitka, Alaska and helping us better ourselves.........something he cherished doing and would check in, he would call, to let me know that he looked forward to doing this every year. This is one of the best sports officials in the history of collegiate sports....and he willingly donated his time, wisdom, knowledge, and friendship to officials from around SE Alaska. I enjoyed getting period texts or calls from this guy while he was busy doing his Pac 10, Big 10, WCC, WAC schedules....and yet he would check in to see how different guys and gals were doing in SE Alaska.....in the middle of his season of another year of officiating at that high level of collegiate basketball. In my eyes, it doesnt get any better than that - someone of that stature, of that calibur, giving freely of his time to us here in SE Alaska for many years.....he didnt have to - he wanted to....and he did. I am glad that he was and is a friend to me, to us. Those of us who had the chance to listen to his stories, enjoy his friendship, and learn from one of officiatings best.........we will truly miss this giant of a man. A man who graced Sitkas basketball courts for many years in the fall. Cheers to a wonderful life and being a part of collegiate sports history. cdn.lightgalleries.net/4bd5ebf463380/images/jim_stupin-2.jpg
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 03:28:20 +0000
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