Referee Weiler Calling It Quits

Rich Weiler, one of the most familiar faces in a striped shirt in the Midwest, will retire at the end of the 1999-00 season, capping a 50-year career involved in officiating at the collegiate level.

Weiler started officiating in the lower college ranks in 1950. In 1964, he started working in the Big Ten in both football and basketball. When he resigned from the league in 1988, he had worked as a lead official in almost 700 games.

In 1985, Weiler started working in the Mid-Continent Conference and also became its first coordinator of officials. He worked his last game in 1990 but held his position as Mid-Continent coordinator through this season.

Weiler, who also officiated in the Missouri Valley and Metro conferences, worked 18 NCAA tournaments, including five Final Fours. He also was an official in the 1984 Rose Bowl.

“Rich was a terrific official when he was on the court and he was a great supervisor of officials in that role. He was a fantastic supporter of the NCAA officiating program for a long, long time,” NCAA director of Officiating Hank Nichols said. “He has done a lot of teaching of young officials and he has given quite a few officials their first break in the college game. He is a heck of a guy. We’ll miss him.”

“I had my day in the sun. Now it is time to enjoy my family,” Weiler said. “I have 13 grandchildren. My wife Eve and I will be able to see them grow up and watch their sporting events now.”

FINAL FOUR VISITORS: “Sweet Georgia Brown” will be heard at the Final Four.

The Harlem Globetrotters will play the NABC All-Stars, a team of college basketball’s top seniors, on April 1 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis during Final Four weekend.

The deal with the National Association of Basketball Coaches has the Globetrotters playing the All-Stars for the next three years and also calls for them to have a multigame fall tour against some of the nation’s top college programs.

The Globetrotters resumed playing competitive games when Mannie Jackson purchased the team in 1993 after a 35-year layoff. They have a 150-65 record in games against college competition.