March 24, 2024 - Watertown, MA - Referee Dies After Collapsing On Court At Middle School Basketball Game, reported by Christine McCarthy, KKTV - TV11 (Colorado Springs, CO).
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October 1, 2023 - China - Athletics Official In Stable Condition After Being Hit By Hammer, reported by Martin Pollard, and Dylan Martinez, Reuters News Service.
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Conyers, GA - March 21, 2014 - 'I Wasn't Nervous': Teen Baseball Player Helps Save Umpire With CPR, NBC News Today, March 28, 2014.
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Ohio - April 26, 2013 - Ohio HB 143 Expands Concussion Training To Include Referees. The NFHS and a number of state legislatures have comprehensive concussion removal and return to play laws, coach education requirements, and parent/student concussion information distribution. Ohio’s law goes one step further, requiring the officials to be trained on signs and symptoms of concussions – just like the coaches. Click here for details.
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January 2013 - Do Whistles Harm Hearing? A recent study says that they do. Indeed, the study refers to a condition known as “referee’s ear”, and cites a study of Michigan high school officials, finding that nearly half reported ringing in the ear after officiating. See Study Blows the Whistle On Referees' Hearing Loss by Andrew Livingstone, Toronto Star, March 8, 2013. There’s one oddity with this study, though. The study makes reference to a condition called "referees' ear" as if the condition is widely known. Perhaps it is, but I've never heard of such a condition, and never met an official who referred to "referees' ear." I googled the phrase, and prior to this study there was only one scientific reference to “referees’ ear” and, the Michigan officials notwithstanding, there simply isn’t a groundswell of officials complaining about “referees’ ear” and post-game tinnitus. I’m sure this study will generate more studies, and the collective studies will begin to shine some light on this issue, but I have a feeling that this study may not hold up to further scrutiny. Click here for the study, which is titled Sports Officials' Hearing Status: Whistle Use As A Factor Contributing To Hearing Trouble by Gregory Flamme and Nathan Williams, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, January 2013. Click here for the pdf version.
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Round Lake, Il - December 13, 2010 - Officials have a lot of heart attacks on the courts and fields every year. Whenever I tell people this, they tell me that I must be kidding because they've never seen it. However, each of us only sees a small subset of all the games played in a given year. Also, we tend to see Division I college and professional games, where the officials are probably in their officiating prime and in better shape than many of the people at lower levels. The massive amount of games played each year combined with the fact that most lower level officials tend to be older will lead the officials to have some heart problems on the field each year. So, when a school buys an AED they may need to be prepared to use it to save a referee. Just last month an official suffered a heart attack in Round Lake, Il. See Heart Attack Strikes Referee At High School Game, CBS News, Chicago, December 13, 2010. Since that time, there have probably been other officials who suffered heart attacks.
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Nashville, TN - September 24, 2010 - Highly Respected Nashville Dies After Heart Attack. See Referee Has Heart Attack On Field, Dies Following Game, Reported by Deanna Lambert, Nashville TV 4, September 25, 2010.
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Roanoke Rapids, N.C. - July 3, 2010 - Umpire Fights Back From Heart Attack. See Two Local Umpires Will Strike At State Tournament Spence, Crossen Will Make The Trip To Kinston by Jonas Pope, IV, Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald, July 3, 2010.
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Elyria, Ohio – April 29, 2010 – Another Umpire Dies of Heart Attack. See Umpire Who Collapsed At Game Dies by Megan Rozsa, Northern Ohio Morning Journal, May 2010.
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Granite Bay, CA - November 13, 2009 - Referee Recovering After Heart Attack at GB Football Game by Kurt Johnson, Folsom Press Tribune, November 13, 2009.
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San Jose, CA - Nov 3, 2009 - Football Referee Has Heart Attack On Field, Returns To Work The Next Day, Officiates 5 Weeks Later. See Heart Attack Can't Stop This Referee by Dennis Knight, San Jose Mercury News, November 3, 2009.
Massachusetts - October 16, 2009 - He's Giving Back By Teaching Kids To Save Lives: Football Ref Bob Schriever flatlined on a football field in 2002. He was saved by an AED. Now, he gives back by teaching CPR and conducting AED training. See Bob on Cheating Death reported by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Oct. 16, 2009 reposted (with transcript) on cardiacscience.com.
Menlo Park, CA - Jan. 29, 2009 - Update: Referee Collapses, Game Cancelled by Keith Peters and Colin Becht, Menlo Park Almanac, January 29, 2009.
Ellinwood, KS - Jan. 6, 2009 - See Referee's Close Call: When Official Collapses in Cardiac Arrest, Spectators Take Charge, Saving His Life, Hutchinson News (Kansas), January 14, 2009, and FirstAidCorps.org.
Collinsville, IL - December 30, 2008 - Referee Stable After Collapse At Collinville Title Game by David Wilhelm, Collinsville News Democrat, December 31, 2008; also see Basketball Referee Revived On Court After Heart Attack, KSDK TV, Jan. 2, 2009.
East Hampton, N.Y. - Dec. 5, 2008 - Ref Revived at Hoops Game, East Hampton Star, December 11, 2008 and see FirstAidCorps.org.
Atlanta, GA - November 7, 2008 - Game Delayed. Why? The Ref Had a Heart Attack Earlier in The Week and Everybody Had To Scramble to Replace Him. See Lack of Referees Delays Rome-Sprayberry Start by Chris Whitfield, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 7, 2008.
Minooka, IL - October 23, 2008 - Four Parents Charge The Court At Middle School Basketball Game ... And They Save The Official. See Parents Use AED To Save Stricken Ref by Heidi Terry-Litchfield, Morris Daily Herald, October 25, 2008.
Metuchen, N.J. - September 2, 2008 - Soccer Ref Revived After Heart Attack at St. Joseph High by Harry Thomas, The Catholic Spirit (Metuchen, N.J.), October 16, 2008.
Forest Grove, OR - May 2, 2008 - Umpire Suffers Fatal Heart Attack during JV Game by Christian Gaston, The Forest Grove News-Times, May 7, 2008.
Harrisburg, PA - February 16, 2008 - Pa. High School Referee Dies of Apparent Heart Attack After Game, Harrisburg Patriot News, February 16, 2008.
Holland, MI - February 8, 2008 - Update: Quick Actions, Prayers, Help Referee Who Collapsed by Chris Fleszar and Sarah Sell, WZZM TV 13, Western Michigan, Feb. 8, 2008.
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October 1, 2023 - China - Athletics Official In Stable Condition After Being Hit By Hammer, reported by Martin Pollard, and Dylan Martinez, Reuters News Service.
------------------------------------
Conyers, GA - March 21, 2014 - 'I Wasn't Nervous': Teen Baseball Player Helps Save Umpire With CPR, NBC News Today, March 28, 2014.
-------------------------------
Ohio - April 26, 2013 - Ohio HB 143 Expands Concussion Training To Include Referees. The NFHS and a number of state legislatures have comprehensive concussion removal and return to play laws, coach education requirements, and parent/student concussion information distribution. Ohio’s law goes one step further, requiring the officials to be trained on signs and symptoms of concussions – just like the coaches. Click here for details.
----------------------
January 2013 - Do Whistles Harm Hearing? A recent study says that they do. Indeed, the study refers to a condition known as “referee’s ear”, and cites a study of Michigan high school officials, finding that nearly half reported ringing in the ear after officiating. See Study Blows the Whistle On Referees' Hearing Loss by Andrew Livingstone, Toronto Star, March 8, 2013. There’s one oddity with this study, though. The study makes reference to a condition called "referees' ear" as if the condition is widely known. Perhaps it is, but I've never heard of such a condition, and never met an official who referred to "referees' ear." I googled the phrase, and prior to this study there was only one scientific reference to “referees’ ear” and, the Michigan officials notwithstanding, there simply isn’t a groundswell of officials complaining about “referees’ ear” and post-game tinnitus. I’m sure this study will generate more studies, and the collective studies will begin to shine some light on this issue, but I have a feeling that this study may not hold up to further scrutiny. Click here for the study, which is titled Sports Officials' Hearing Status: Whistle Use As A Factor Contributing To Hearing Trouble by Gregory Flamme and Nathan Williams, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, January 2013. Click here for the pdf version.
-------------------------------------------
Round Lake, Il - December 13, 2010 - Officials have a lot of heart attacks on the courts and fields every year. Whenever I tell people this, they tell me that I must be kidding because they've never seen it. However, each of us only sees a small subset of all the games played in a given year. Also, we tend to see Division I college and professional games, where the officials are probably in their officiating prime and in better shape than many of the people at lower levels. The massive amount of games played each year combined with the fact that most lower level officials tend to be older will lead the officials to have some heart problems on the field each year. So, when a school buys an AED they may need to be prepared to use it to save a referee. Just last month an official suffered a heart attack in Round Lake, Il. See Heart Attack Strikes Referee At High School Game, CBS News, Chicago, December 13, 2010. Since that time, there have probably been other officials who suffered heart attacks.
--------------------------------
Nashville, TN - September 24, 2010 - Highly Respected Nashville Dies After Heart Attack. See Referee Has Heart Attack On Field, Dies Following Game, Reported by Deanna Lambert, Nashville TV 4, September 25, 2010.
---------------------
Roanoke Rapids, N.C. - July 3, 2010 - Umpire Fights Back From Heart Attack. See Two Local Umpires Will Strike At State Tournament Spence, Crossen Will Make The Trip To Kinston by Jonas Pope, IV, Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald, July 3, 2010.
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Elyria, Ohio – April 29, 2010 – Another Umpire Dies of Heart Attack. See Umpire Who Collapsed At Game Dies by Megan Rozsa, Northern Ohio Morning Journal, May 2010.
---------------------
Granite Bay, CA - November 13, 2009 - Referee Recovering After Heart Attack at GB Football Game by Kurt Johnson, Folsom Press Tribune, November 13, 2009.
-----------------------------
San Jose, CA - Nov 3, 2009 - Football Referee Has Heart Attack On Field, Returns To Work The Next Day, Officiates 5 Weeks Later. See Heart Attack Can't Stop This Referee by Dennis Knight, San Jose Mercury News, November 3, 2009.
Massachusetts - October 16, 2009 - He's Giving Back By Teaching Kids To Save Lives: Football Ref Bob Schriever flatlined on a football field in 2002. He was saved by an AED. Now, he gives back by teaching CPR and conducting AED training. See Bob on Cheating Death reported by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Oct. 16, 2009 reposted (with transcript) on cardiacscience.com.
Menlo Park, CA - Jan. 29, 2009 - Update: Referee Collapses, Game Cancelled by Keith Peters and Colin Becht, Menlo Park Almanac, January 29, 2009.
Ellinwood, KS - Jan. 6, 2009 - See Referee's Close Call: When Official Collapses in Cardiac Arrest, Spectators Take Charge, Saving His Life, Hutchinson News (Kansas), January 14, 2009, and FirstAidCorps.org.
Collinsville, IL - December 30, 2008 - Referee Stable After Collapse At Collinville Title Game by David Wilhelm, Collinsville News Democrat, December 31, 2008; also see Basketball Referee Revived On Court After Heart Attack, KSDK TV, Jan. 2, 2009.
East Hampton, N.Y. - Dec. 5, 2008 - Ref Revived at Hoops Game, East Hampton Star, December 11, 2008 and see FirstAidCorps.org.
Atlanta, GA - November 7, 2008 - Game Delayed. Why? The Ref Had a Heart Attack Earlier in The Week and Everybody Had To Scramble to Replace Him. See Lack of Referees Delays Rome-Sprayberry Start by Chris Whitfield, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 7, 2008.
Minooka, IL - October 23, 2008 - Four Parents Charge The Court At Middle School Basketball Game ... And They Save The Official. See Parents Use AED To Save Stricken Ref by Heidi Terry-Litchfield, Morris Daily Herald, October 25, 2008.
Metuchen, N.J. - September 2, 2008 - Soccer Ref Revived After Heart Attack at St. Joseph High by Harry Thomas, The Catholic Spirit (Metuchen, N.J.), October 16, 2008.
Forest Grove, OR - May 2, 2008 - Umpire Suffers Fatal Heart Attack during JV Game by Christian Gaston, The Forest Grove News-Times, May 7, 2008.
Harrisburg, PA - February 16, 2008 - Pa. High School Referee Dies of Apparent Heart Attack After Game, Harrisburg Patriot News, February 16, 2008.
Holland, MI - February 8, 2008 - Update: Quick Actions, Prayers, Help Referee Who Collapsed by Chris Fleszar and Sarah Sell, WZZM TV 13, Western Michigan, Feb. 8, 2008.
