Former Referees

It is hard to believe that all of those referees that I remember so well are now retired.  My favorite crew when I was actively involved were Jerry Newsom, Rich Enyon, and Steve Welmer.  They, of course, all lived in Columbus, Indiana, at one time.  All three played basketball while in high school.  Jerry and Steve were very good college players as well.  In fact, it took Larry Byrd to break Newsom’s scoring record at Indiana State.  Steve Welmer had to retire from collegiate refereeing because of a bad back.  All three were high school referees in the 70’s and early 80’s.  Two of our local referees are also retired as far as I know.  Mike Wallpe quit a few years ago, and I heard that Ray Tebbe hung up his whistle this past season.  I will know for sure on Ray if he does not do one of the County Tourney games.  Ray and his partner, Larry Anderson, have refereed the County Tourney for years.  Another well-known referee, Ray Ratledge, had to give up after his health deteriorated.  Ray still lives in the Milan area.  I know there are good crews out there today, but I have been out of the sport long enough that I do not recognize most of their faces when I see local games.  Like most second jobs, the younger generation have not taken up this vocation.  If you are still fairly young and in good shape, please consider it!