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Bert Smith does. . Thats 1990. Referee Fall in Gonzaga USC NCAA Game TBS Replay Gets Backlash Sports A Referee Collapsed at an NCAA Basketball Game. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. I say, Whats going on, man? And he goes, Bert, you passed out. Smith, who'ddriven a rental car into town after working the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Dayton, Ohio, was driven to his home in Florence, Ky., by Eric Lowe, a Central Indiana-based referee. I love officiating because it has a Zen aspect to it: for those two hours, you are completely focused on the task at hand. No, he said hed walk off under assistance. He plans to return as soon as he can to the court, and that includes ref camps this summer. Their goalie tried leaping to his left Gaining the best sight line on the ice requires officials to be strong skaters, agile and physically fit. I love the smell of the grass when you first walk out on the field when you get to the stadium. See Bert Smith? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Turns out, nope, no concussion. He runs. Success! And when next season arrives, you can expect to find Bert Smith on the hardwood. Copyright 2022 Referee Enterprises Inc. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Smiths also grateful that his health scare, if it was going to happen,took place during the NCAA Tournament and not when he was driving or sleeping. When I enter the field, theres more bounce in my step, my senses are heightened and my competitive juices start flowing. People in the building, and I was one of them, thought he was dead. Its because I was telling the doctor: You little SOB, you tricked me!. I looked at him and said, Oh no you didnt , He said he told the doctor at the time, "You little SOB, you tricked me!. Officials figure they run at least four miles during a game, and its not a jog but a series of sprints. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. He agreed. They were supposed to just check my head and spine for a concussion (he didnt have one, by the way), says Smith. Medical personnel at Lucas Oil Stadium treated Smith, who later went to a local hospital. Smiths pausing. . Do you know you went viral? she playfully asked. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. Two days later, clot gone, he was discharged. Trammel was at Methodistthe night of March 30. You could talk to him during a game. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Trammel had seen the video. Referee Bert Smith is taken off the court on a stretcher after collapsing during the first half of an Elite Eight game between Gonzaga and USC during the first half of an Elite 8 game in the NCAA . After college, I had the great privilege of joining his football crew and kick-starting my own football officiating career. Soccer has enriched my life ever since that fateful day in 1973 when my brother came home and said he made the high school soccer team. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Smith abruptly collapsed during an Elite Eight game between No. 1 seed Gonzaga and No. Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Twitter at@GreggDoyelStar. "It puts in perspective the value of each day, because we all go through our lives -- we're all guilty of it -- and we just live, right?" Theres no room in your head for thinking about cutting the grass, what you need from the store or how you have to finish your taxes. Its not some routine youre doing day in and day out. Smith is the college basketball official who passed out during themen's NCAA Tournamentregional final between Gonzaga and Southern California, toppling over like a fallen tree his description his body prone and unmoving, his eyes open and unseeing, a Gonzaga trainer frantically waving for help. Everyones joking with him now. Do we do the things with our family and friends that have value to them? Now he wonders. Look at his scowl. Im happy I did it around a bunch of people who had the ability to help me.. I could be involved with 4-H. Smith is one of the longest tenured and most respected officials in college hoops. Now he wonders. Usually I will leave the venue with a different outlook. Refereeing soccer is more than a hobby or a job; it is my passion and it is ingrained in me so deeply that it is a part of me. OK, so the night of March 29. 1 seed Gonzaga and No. We get him off the floor out of sight and he just loses it, Fox recalls. He works his first game at age 24. Referee Bert Smith is taken off the court on a stretcher after collapsing during the first half of an Elite 8 game between Gonzaga and Southern California during the first half of an Elite 8 game . He said no. If you saw it, you understand. That says something about that officiating fraternity.. If hes going to walk, might as well make it a long one. The referee who collapsed during Gonzaga's matchup against USC in the NCAA men's basketball tournament had a blood clot in his lung, The Indianapolis Star reported Friday. 6 seed USC last month in the men's NCAA tournament. Next thing he remembers, hes looking at the ceiling of Lucas Oil Stadium. Hes worked 17 NCAA Tournaments. All rights reserved. His wife has seen it once, and shell never watch it again. It and she have made me a better person. It is by far the most difficult thing Ive ever done. You dont know where that clot was going next, he says. Game official Bert Smith collapsed and was taken off the court on a gurney during the first half of the men's NCAA basketball game between the USC Trojans . A few hours later, his officiating friends joined him at the hotel and suggested he go to the hospital to be evaluated for a concussion, just in case. " Bert is alert and stable and will not be transported to a hospital. The problems of the world do not exist when I am working a game. Unfortunately we miss plays every night, but the challenge of trying to be perfect and get every play right is why I love it so much. And they heard the sound his head made I heard it, too, 30 rows away when it slammed onto the court. But slow down, OK? Smith does remember the play before it, Gonzagas Andrew Nembhard stealing the ball and going the other way, but now the action is coming back toward the USC basket, where Smith had remained hed been unable to run the court as Nembhard finished at the rim and Smith is wondering whats going on. As you looked toward my approval Thats his wife of 33 years. Being able to participate and watch these young men and women playing the game because they have that desire to play is a joy to me that you cannot experience through a TV or on the sidelines. But do we say I love you enough? Officiating In Perspective with Barry Mano, Amid cancer fight, NBA ref Tony Brown returning to work, Recruiting & Retention: What WorkedWhat Didnt, Next Level Softball Umpiring Free Email Series, High School Volleyball Officials Quiz 2023. If you saw it, you understand. See Bert Smith? It does not store any personal data. Officiating for me has always been the ultimate escape. He has been in contact with his family. He started on the lowest levels as a youth league official in 1990, began working Division I games in 1993 and now does as many as 80 games a year. Smith tested positive for the coronavirus in August, but doctors were reportedly unsure whether the clot had anything to do with COVID-19. Smith collapsed just over four minutes into the Elite Eight game between USC. Look at those crossed arms. It offers a chance to lead by example. Knowing the rulebook and being able to execute decisions in a split-second. He later regained consciousness and was stretchered off the . Hes a motivational speaker anddiversity recruiterin addition to being an NCAA referee, and I imagine hes awfully good at both. . They suggest he go to the hospital to get examined for a concussion, just to be sure. I always thought he was a good dude, Lansing says. Smith is one of the longest tenured and most respected officials in college hoops. It puts in perspective the value of each day, because we all go through our lives were all guilty of it and we just live, right? Do we give an extra hug enough? This season he worked about 90 games, including dates in the ACC, Big East, Big 12 and Missouri Valley Conference. My father was a basketball official and one of the founding members of the local IAABO board in Lowell, Mass. The final clip in this video compilation shows Bert Smith as he collapsed during a March Madness game in April 2021. Smiths pausing. Im happy I did it around a bunch of people who had the ability to help me.. Not one of these men or women is without the utmost class and integrity, and I hope by associating with them some of their class and integrity has rubbed off on me and made me a better person. the college basketball official who passed out during themen's NCAA Tournamentregional final between Gonzaga and Southern California, Latest NCAA Men's College Basketball Scores and Schedules, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. I was seven years old and wanted to learn everything he learned each day when he got home from practice. Hes a motivational speaker and diversity recruiter in addition to being an NCAA referee, and I imagine hes awfully good at both. So when I went off to college I had to work and was asked what I might enjoy doing, I said, Sports. I was hired on the intramural staff and was paid $3 an hour to officiate co-ed flag football, womens basketball and co-ed softball. Your heart begins to race, the adrenaline begins to run rampant throughout your body, the excitement takes over as you look around the stadium; you take a couple of deep breaths and then everything becomes so clear. Its energizing and refreshing to have that kind of focus on something. After all, he hit the court hard, so hard that it left a giant bump on the back of his head. It puts me in the zone! Note: This article is archival in nature. For someone like me who has been in the game for a long time, there is a certain level of expectation on the part of players, coaches and my supervisors. My feelings about my whistle are still the same. They were pretty intense, man. Its hard for me to talk about now. After his nationally televised fall, Smith had more than 500 texts, emails and calls to return, and by Wednesday hed returned them all. I want to know why you fell. She checked a few things out, came back inand took me through the car wash. Just a lot of tests. He wasnt one of those guys you couldnt talk to. Referee Bert Smith is taken off the court on a stretcher after collapsing during the first half of an Elite 8 game between Gonzaga and Southern California during the first half of an Elite 8 game . Referee Bert Smith is taken off the court on a stretcher after collapsing during the first half of an Elite 8 game between Gonzaga and Southern California during the first half of an Elite 8 game . Who parks in the farthest spot from the entrance to Kroger? He runs. Smiths also grateful that his health scare, if it was going to happen, took place during the NCAA Tournament and not when he was driving or sleeping. The whole thing is mysterious, because hes a sculpture of a man, 6-3 and 195 pounds.