Earl Strom

Earl Strom (December 15, 1927 – July 10, 1994), born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, was a basketball referee for 29 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and for three years in the American Basketball Association (ABA). Strom was considered by many to be the greatest referee in the history of the NBA for his ability and colorful personality. Strom officiated 2,400 regular season games, 295 playoffs games, seven All-Star games, and 29 NBA and ABA Finals. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995. He wore uniform number 12 for the majority of his career. He wore the number 10 in his first stint in the NBA from 1957 to 1969, prior to joining the ABA. When Strom returned to the NBA during the 1973-74 NBA season, the number 10 was already reassigned to Darrell Garretson, Strom took the available number 12 for the remainder of his career in the NBA. Image File history File links Earlstrom. ... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal. // Events January Bill Clinton January 1 : North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect. ... Pottstown is a borough in Montgomery County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005 For other uses, see Basketball (disambiguation). ... A referee is a person who has authority to make decisions about play in many sports. ... NBA logo, depicting former star Jerry West Location of NBA teams, conferences and divisions NBA redirects here. ... The American Basketball Association (ABA) was founded in 1967 and eventually merged with the National Basketball Association. ... The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame honors players who have shown exceptional skill at basketball, all-time great coaches and referees, and other major contributors to the game. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... The 1973-74 NBA Season was the 28th season of the National Basketball Association. ...

Biography

Strom graduated from Pottstown High School in 1945 and attended Peirce Junior College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he graduated in 1951. Strom became an NBA referee in 1957 after officiating high school for nine years and college games for three years. In 1961, he and Mendy Rudolph made NBA history when they refereed all seven games of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and St. Louis Hawks. Earl was elected NBA Crew Chief in 1967 and 1968, and throughout his long career, Strom was respected for his colorful style and ability to control the game. His reputation for fairness earned the respect of players, coaches, officials, and even fans. In a 1990 USA Today poll, Earl was considered the league's top official in the NBA. 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates , Government Country  State   County United States  Pennsylvania   Philadelphia Founded Incorporated October 27, 1682 October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 369. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Mendy Rudolph Marvin (Mendy) Rudolph (March 8, 1926 - July 1979, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) was a National Basketball Association (NBA) referee for 25 years, from 1953 to 1978. ... The Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. ... The Atlanta Hawks are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... This article is about the year. ... USA Today is a national American newspaper published by the Gannett Corporation. ...

Strom's decision to retire from the league was partly the result of a long-time feud between him and longtime Supervisor of Officials, Darrell Garretson, who also served as an active official. The disagreement was over officiating philosophy on how games should be called. His final game was Game 4 of the 1990 NBA Finals between the Detroit Pistons and Portland Trailblazers played June 17, 1990 in a game that saw Strom correctly wave off Danny Young's half-court heave that would have sent the game into overtime had it come before the buzzer. The 1990 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1989-1990 NBA season. ... The Detroit Pistons are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in the Detroit metropolitan area. ... The Portland Trail Blazers are a National Basketball Association team based in Portland, Oregon. ... June 17 is the 168th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (169th in leap years), with 197 days remaining. ... This article is about the year. ... Danny Richardson Young (born July 26, 1962 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is a former professional basketball player. ...

After his retirement from the NBA, Strom briefly worked as a television color commentator for the Los Angeles Clippers and for college basketball's Northeast Conference. The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. ... The Northeast Conference (NEC) is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. ...

He passed away on July 10, 1994 after fighting a bout with brain cancer. July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal. // Events January Bill Clinton January 1 : North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect. ...

Richie Phillips and the NBA

Earl Strom had difficulties returning back to the NBA from the ABA. The NBA did not want him to return. Strom was represented by Richie Phillips, a union leader, to assist in getting Strom's job back with the NBA. A suit was filed against the NBA for breach of an oral contract when John Nucatola, then Supervisor of Officials, told Strom that he wanted him back. The league filed preliminary objections to have the suit dismissed, but were overruled by the court. The NBA then moved for summary judgment which was denied. This ultimately resolved the matter and Strom received his job back. Richie Phillips was the former general counsel and union chief for the 52-member Major League Umpires Association (MLUA). ... John Nucatola (17 November 1907 (New York) - 9 May 2000) was a professional basketball player, coach and referee. ...

Famous Incidents

• Strom was officiating an NBA game between the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets with Dick Bavetta as his partner for that game. The game was close at the end and Earl made a last-second call against the Nets, ending the game with a win for Sixers. Suddenly Dick Bavetta ran across floor to the scorer's table, saying, "No! No! I got a push off against McGinnis!" Earl Strom then challenged Bavetta, "Are you over-ruling my call?" "I got pushing off right here!" Bavetta insisted, which reversed Strom's call and the Nets wound up with the victory. With the game over, players were walking to their respective locker rooms when the door to the referees' locker room flew open and Dick Bavetta came staggering out. His uniform was ripped and he was wearing a big welt over his eye, running to get away from Strom. Strom stepped out into the hallway and hollered after Bavetta, "You'll take another one of my (bleeping) calls again, right, you (bleep)?"

• After Game 4 of the 1987 NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, Red Auerbach confronted Strom in the hallway near locker rooms. "That was the worst officiated game I ever saw!" said Auerbach, referring to the fact that the Lakers shot 14 fourth-period free throws to the Celtics' one. He also told Strom, "You're a gelding," though he was not quite so Elizabethan in his choice of words. Strom stared back at him and said, "Arnold, you're showing all the class I knew you always had."

• During a game in 1982, then head coach of the Utah Jazz, Frank Layden, had seen enough of his team's poor performance and wanted an early leave. Layden verbally abused Strom to entice Strom to eject the coach out of the game. Strom knew what he was trying to do and when Layden asked Strom why he did not eject him, Strom replied, “I know what you’re trying to do, Frank, but if I’ve got to stay out here and watch this shit, so do you”.

• Wilt Chamberlain saved Strom from an angry mob during a game in Memphis, Tennessee. Strom made a call that went against the St. Louis Hawks and at halftime was called a "gutless bastard" by Hawks general manager Irv Gack at the scorer's table. Strom asked Gack to repeat the comment as Strom reached across the table and grabbed Gack by the shirt. Fans start coming down from the seats and Wilt Chamberlain, who was playing for the Philadelphia 76ers at the time saw this. Wilt stepped across the table picked Strom up and said, "C'mon Earl. Let's get the hell out of here."

• Strom threw out Chicago Bulls mascot, Benny the Bull, in a 1974 playoff game for mocking him.

The Philadelphia 76ers (also known as the Sixers for short) are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey. ... Dick Bavetta is a professional basketball referee for the NBA. As of February 8, 2006, Bavetta had officiated 2,135 NBA games, giving him the record for most games officiated, on top of the record for most consecutive games officiated, as he never missed any games. ... The 1987 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1986-1987 NBA season. ... The Los Angeles Lakers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. ... The Boston Celtics are a professional basketball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. ... Arnold Jacob Red Auerbach (born September 20, 1917 in Brooklyn, New York) is president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, an NBA basketball team, and was its coach from 1950 to 1966, including a stretch from 1959 to 1966 when the Celtics won eight straight NBA championships. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Utah Jazz is a National Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. ... Frank Layden is a former coach and executive with the NBAs Utah Jazz, in addition to being a former coach and player with Niagara University. ... Wilt Chamberlain featured on his biography, Wilt: Larger Than Life. ... Nickname The River City, The Bluff City Location Location in Shelby County and the state of Tennessee Government Country State Counties United States Tennessee Shelby County Mayor W. W. Herenton (D) Geographical characteristics Area  - Total  - Land  - Water 294. ... The Atlanta Hawks are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... The Philadelphia 76ers (also known as the Sixers for short) are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ... The Chicago Bulls are a professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ... Mascots at the Mascot Olympics in Orlando, Florida. ... Benny the Bull, commonly known as Benny, is the mascot of the Chicago Bulls. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ...

Books

• Calling the Shots: My Five Decades in the NBA, 1990, ISBN 0671661086

Quotes

• "If you ever stop to say 'What's going to happen to me if I make this call', you might as well take your whistle and shove it because that's all the respect you're giving it."
• "Officiating is the only occupation in the world where the highest accolade is silence."
• "If you were my wife, I'd eat it." In response to a woman heckler who had yelled at him: "Hey Earl, if you were my husband, I'd feed you rat poison."

External Links

• Basketball Hall of Fame
• Earl Strom Jews in Sports