Longtime Official Retires with Call for Better Sportsmanship

n May 7, 1963, the historic Guthrie Theater opened in Minneapolis and its first presentation was Hamlet. The first line of the Shakespearean tragedy is uttered by Bernardo, a hapless soldier who is on guard duty at Elsinore Castle.

“Who’s there?” were the famed first words in the iconic theater’s legendary history, and they were spoken by Bill Pogue, then a rookie actor, who played Bernardo.

“It’s maybe what I am most famous for, but I don’t think we will ever see that piece of trivia on a Jeopardy episode,” Pogue says with a chuckle.

Pogue, now 85 and a longtime resident of the Houston (Texas) Museum District, believes his officiating career is far less impressive. He calls his 30-plus years of officiating “non-descript” and “not worthy of any kind of recognition.”

“Too often, officials are judged by some kind of standard,” Pogue said. “Those standards can include how many postseason assignments an individual has, how many state tournaments they’ve worked or awards they’ve garnered. My view was simple: There was always a need for officials, and I was happy to fulfill that role. I genuinely felt lucky each time I got to go out, work a game and serve students. That sounds saccharine, but it is genuine.”

While Pogue’s humility is refreshing in what can too often be a me-first avocation, his servantry and commitment to officiating and the dedication to ensuring students continue to have opportunities through education-based activities is inspiring and worthy of praise.

Pogue isn’t alone. He is among thousands of officials across the country that are similar in approach and not interested in individual accolades.

Pogue ended his distinguished and colorful officiating career this fall with the completion of his high school volleyball schedule in Texas. It was a winding, memory-filled career that included working soccer and basketball. Buoyed by a passion to serve and give back, he started all three sports with no formal training and learned with gentle input and guidance along the way.

“I have served proudly,” Pogue said. “I have never turned down an assignment and never given an assignor a hard time. I had an undistinguishable career, and I step away with no regrets.”

He began his officiating career at age 50 when the YMCA needed youth soccer officials. Knowing virtually nothing about the game, he agreed, figuring he could learn while the children played merrily.

In his first assignment, he was paired with a YMCA staff member that also knew little about soccer. On the opening kick, a player booted the ball so far that it landed in the goal. Pogue looked at his partner, who looked equally bewildered.

Not sure if a legal goal had just been scored, they went with it, and both used the football mechanic for a touchdown, which is not a soccer signal. A coach expressed his disagreement, but Pogue admits they used good communication and rationale to work through it.

“That’s how primitive officiating was at some levels,” he said. “If you are going to officiate, it should be done correctly.”

He recognized that structure was needed for officials to grow, and he began to work toward that end. His work didn’t go unnoticed as he was the recipient of a citywide YMCA award, recognition he calls “undeserved,” because he was just doing what he felt was right.

His basketball debut was equally memorable.

Decades ago, he was called by a local assignor in Houston and asked if he could officiate three junior high games. He told the assignor that he didn’t have the proper equipment and had only worked games for young kids. Before he hung up the phone, the assignor recommended that Pogue not share with either of the coaches that it was his first game at that level.

He arrived early with a new shirt and figured he should act the part. A fan of the Southwest Conference, he emulated what he watched on TV games. In fact, the only true basketball mechanic he knew was the loose-ball call from the NBA.

He worked a fair amount of the game without a partner and believed he was holding his own because neither coach said a word.

“Like the calvary coming over the hill, a partner showed up,” Pogue said with a laugh. “It turns out, he was new, too. The capper, I later found out, was that the assignor, the old Texas guy, had some second thoughts about assigning me and he called the schools to warn them. It was dramatic irony. I was strutting around like (former NBA official) Mendy Rudolph’s little brother and those guys were swallowing their concerns.”

As he did with all the sports that he worked, he spent a great deal of time learning through rule books, practicing mechanics and using a sharp eye when it came to game management.

In reflecting on his officiating career, Pogue is greatly appreciative of the positive relationships with administrators, coaches and students that have brought a perpetual smile. As he steps away, he holds hopes, too.

He is hopeful that school administrators and coaches will continue to work with students to accentuate sportsmanship, positive school spirit and kindness to one another. In officiating assignments of late, he has had to work with site administration in the aftermath of incidents of unkind behavior and concerning language that emanates from student fans.

“We live in a super-charged world,” Pogue said. “I am hopeful that administrators, coaches and officials can be a team of sorts to ensure that negativity isn’t a part of our high school experiences. It has no place in our contests.”

In stepping aside from officiating, Pogue will continue to be the primary caregiver to his wife, Kate. She, too, was in the cast of Hamlet more than 60 years ago in Minneapolis. They journeyed to Minneapolis two years ago for the 60th anniversary of the performance.

“I will have time to reflect on many things,” Pogue said. “I believe officiating is wonderful training for any profession. You develop a sense that you won’t be pleasing everyone. But if you are doing what you enjoy and are in it for the right reason, you are doing something greater than yourself. I honestly felt that anytime I got to take the field or court that that was the biggest game in town. It didn’t matter what level; I was a very lucky guy to do this.”

That mindset that drove his officiating career is worthy of a robust chorus of “Bravo!”

Tim Leighton has been communications coordinator for the Minnesota State High School League since 2015 after more than 30 years as a sportswriter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota. He is a member of the High School Today Publications Committee.