Tough But Fair
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HISTORY OF P.U.O.A.
THEY EARNED THEIR STRIPES
PUOA (founded 1972): The idea for PUOA began when a group of 10 black coaches, expressed discontent around unfair standards. There were no black officials at the time, and the coaches felt they were not being given a fair shake in a lot of the games. Initially, no one had considered officiating. However, a group of black men decided to take the test to become officials. They became part of the solution to address the problem. PUOA was born. The chapter became one of the first predominantly black officials organizations in Pennsylvania.
PUOA is one of six officiant chapters in district 8. Currently, there are approximately 73 PUOA members, with only 8-10 members being non-black.
Ozanam Summer Basketball League in the Hill District (1971 to 2000): Ozanam was a large summer league, that ran all day, seven days a week. PUOA would referee their entire schedule of games. It was where all the schools came for the fierce competition. PUOA officials developed relationships with schools and coaches. It became a showcase for black officials to demonstrate their skills in managing the game. Through Ozanam, partnerships were formed with Springdale and Deer Lakes. These solid relationships have withstood the test of time, and continue to this day.
Prior to Ozanam, officiating was “the Good Ole Boys network.” The coaches naturally were choosing their friends. Through Ozanam, there was exposure for these coaches to know other officials, especially African-American officials existed. Coaches realized that black officials took control of the game. They liked PUOA officials because they would take care of everyone on the court, regardless of color. Coaches realized that PUOA made it a safe environment for their players to come and improve their skills.
Ozanam was backed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Diocese. After a loss of funding, Ozanam was stopped in 1997.
Industrial League at Allderdice: Was a winter league with 20 teams that included state police and other corporate teams. There were nine games a night, played in three gyms.
Training: Ray Morton was one of first to go to basketball/referee camps as an opportunity to improve individual skill sets. The first camp Ray attended was in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was a high school camp, conducted by college officials. Ray was able to return to PUOA with additional knowledge after that experience. This truly opened the door. PUOA started pushing members to go to camps. With the increasing number of members going to camps, they began to buy into the value of improving their craft. This resulted in PUOA officials finding themselves on schools’ rosters. Ray also went to a camp in Yonkers, NY and became part of the Big East college roster.
Ray began teaching classes to bring new people into PUOA. He also became the rules interpreter for the chapter. During his tenure, he became a stickler about learning the rules and expanding knowledge. Ray started putting together PowerPoints to instruct other PUOA members, while helping to enhance their game.
College Officiating: Through improving their skillsets, PUOA gained schedules for Point Park, Carlow and Robert Morris. This was a huge step for PUOA at the time. However, PUOA’s vision was not large enough to begin working with the colleges at that juncture. The result didn't yield the success they expected.
Tri-State (1989): Was a college signing group for basketball. PUOA joined the organization. This produced the first and only African-American official in Tri-State at the time.
State championship games: Black officials were receiving regular season games, but they were shut out at the playoff level. When PUOA first started, it was a dream for members to get a playoff game. Now, we have many members of PUOA officiating state championship games.
Meeting with Ace Heberling and Bob Lombardi (approximately 1990): The PUOA board held a meeting with Ace Heberling and Bob Lombardi at the University of Pittsburgh.The meeting was to express concern over the lack of representation of black officials at the local and state playoff levels.
Connie Hawkins League:
Just a few years later, Tim Jenkins once again found an opportunity for PUOA exposure when he learned of the Connie Hawkins League. Known for matching NCAA, NBA, and NFL players with talented locals. “Bill Neal, CEO of Champions Association, was the organizer of the Connie Hawkins Summer Basketball League. Bill set up the league in 1975 and supervised until closing it down in 2010. With the “Hawk's” permission, he started the league with games on the court behind the Homewood-Brushton YMCA in 1975, before crowds of five hundred plus per night. The site changed to East Hills Park before 1980, with 750 to 1,000 fans per night, and ultimately to Pennley Park in 1985, commonly known as "Champions Park".
Tim worked with Connie Hawkins founder Bill Neal, to create a contractual relationship between PUOA and the league. He worked diligently to negotiate fair officiating fees as well as appropriate working conditions for the games. His hard work paid off. Through his dedication, PUOA, despite its young age, was associated with one of the best-known leagues in the country, featuring some of the country’s most talented players. This catapulted PUOA’s reputation and provided valuable experience that allowed PUOA members to polish their skills, while building the knowledge base necessary to work marquee games.
From Our Humble Beginnings.
Early Pittsburgh Urban Officials Jacket.
Old School PUOA.
Future PUOA Star.
