Ed T. Rush
Ed T. Rush (born 1942) is a former professional basketball referee. He joined the NBA as a referee in 1966, at age 24, becoming the youngest referee in NBA history.[1][2] In 1973, he left for the American Basketball Association but returned to the NBA when the ABA merged with that league in 1976.[3] Rush became the NBA's director of officiating in 1998,[4] and served in that position until 2003 when he was succeeded by Ronnie Nunn.[5]
He was married to three-time AIAW women's basketball tournament winning coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Cathy Rush.
Pac-12 refereeing controversy
On April 1, 2013, CBS Sports reported that during a meeting before the 2013 Pac-12 men's basketball tournament Rush had jokingly offered $5,000 or a trip to Cancún to referees who would properly handle the antics of Arizona head coach Sean Miller, who was called for a controversial technical foul in Arizona's semi-final 2-point loss to UCLA, the first technical foul Miller had received that season. The report cited an unnamed referee who claimed that Rush intimidated the Pac-12's referees and "[bullied] everyone." Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott responded to the allegations in a statement saying that the reports had been investigated and that the conference believed Rush had made the offer "in jest."[6]
References
- ^ Rein, Richard K. "Can Coach and Ref Find Happiness Together? Ed & Cathy Rush Manage". People Magazine. Time Inc. Retrieved 7 Dec 2012.
- ^ Charley Rosen. "Whistle blower: Q &A with Ed T. Rush". ESPN Page 2. Retrieved on March 31, 2010.
- ^ Terry Pluto. Loose Balls. Simon and Schuster, 2007. 127.
- ^ "Transactions". New York Times. May 19, 1998. Retrieved on March 31, 2010.
- ^ Percy Allen. "These stripes are tough to earn". The Seattle Times. November 23, 2003. Retrieved on March 31, 2010.
- ^ Goodman, Jeff (1 April 2013). "Pac-12 head of officials investigated for targeting Arizona's Sean Miller". CBS Sports. CBS. Retrieved 1 April 2013.