(Editor’s notice: That is the following installment in a weekly collection of tales submitted by readers in describing a few of their favourite sports activities reminiscences that can seem in The Journal’s Weekend version. We’re nonetheless accepting them, and they are often despatched to rkozlowski@journal-news.net. Put “Sports activities Reminiscences” in topic line and please embrace a telephone quantity and movie.)

As a soccer and basketball referee for 50 years, I’ve many fantastic reminiscences.

Listed here are two of them:

In basketball, Invoice Fiery and I labored the 1994 boys Class AAA state semifinal recreation in Charleston — DuPont vs. Beckley Woodrow Wilson, that includes Randy Moss and Jason Williams on the DuPont staff.

Sportscaster Hoppy Kercheval, dubbed it “The Recreation of the Decade.”

In fact, Martinsburg beat DuPont the following night time for the championship — unbelievable!

In soccer, I led a crew to Morgantown Excessive Faculty in 2000 for a first-round playoff recreation.

On the day earlier than the Friday night time recreation, I acquired a telephone name from the West Virginia Secondary Faculty Actions Fee, advising me {that a} particular visitor would toss the coin.

My crew, Jim Wasson, Donnie Brown, Jimmie Pierson and Kim Reid, and I headed to Pony Lewis Area the following day. Once we obtained near the college, there have been police in all places, and enormous tv satellite tv for pc dishes from CNN Information have been blockading among the streets.

Wasson needed to drive his minivan with two wheels on among the sidewalks for us to get via. A college official and a Secret Service agent greeted us and escorted us to our locker room. The agent had our names and Social Safety numbers, so we figured that they had run background checks on us.

We went via our regular pregame duties — inspecting the sector, assembly the clock operator and chain crew, and many others. We obtained dressed, had our pregame convention and headed out to the sector.

The identical agent was ready to offer us directions. Every time he started to speak, he stopped and spoke into the radio on his sleeve. We needed to carry the captains out from the tip zones, as a substitute of the sidelines for safety causes.

Sirens began blaring, and a caravan of blue and pink lights got here up the hill. Getting out of 1 automobile, surrounded by Secret Service brokers, was our coin-tossing visitor, the governor of Texas and presidential candidate, George W. Bush; his spouse, Laura Bush; and Cecil Underwood, the governor of West Virginia. They proceeded to stroll to the middle of the sector. We then introduced the staff captains to the middle, surrounded by extra Secret Service brokers.

As we approached, I noticed Gov. Bush reaching into every of his pockets in search of a coin and informed him to loosen up, as a result of “I’ve the coin.” I used to be handed a CNN microphone and commenced to offer directions to the gamers after which launched them to Gov. Bush.

Mr. Bush addressed the staff captains and mentioned, “You might be champions on the sector; now be champions off the sector,” and he tossed the coin.

Afterward, he shook all of our fingers and left for a rally at the highschool. The next January, he grew to become the 43rd president of america.

I nonetheless have the coin.