Palm Beach County basketball referee recognized as one of nation's best
In sports, everyone wants to be the best athlete in the world and recognized as one of the greats.
As a referee, Lake Worth's Joseph Erwin, 58, is one of the best in high school sports.
Erwin was selected as one of the Section Active Officials of the Year for 2022 by the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) in February.
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What does that mean?
Erwin has been nationally recognized as one of the best in Florida and in the nation after more than 30 years as a high school basketball referee.
“I’m truly honored to be recognized by the FHSAA,” Erwin said. "The FHSAA and national federation supported me, and this award is the highest achievement I have ever received as a basketball official.”
Based in Palm Beach County, Erwin is now going on his fourth term as president of the East Coast Basketball Officials Association (ECBOA), sanctioned by the FHSAA.
Growing up in Pensacola, Erwin was always around basketball. It was his life.
He was constantly in the gym in high school, with his father as the athletic director and a referee himself, guiding him along the way. In his sophomore year in 1979, he would help his dad out managing the clock during their basketball games and then go watch him officiate games after school.
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“I played one year, my freshman year, and I realized I was not going to be a basketball star,” Erwin said. “But I absolutely love the game and just have a deep passion for it and watching my father officiate is what got the wheels turning.”
What better way to get a first job than to be a part of the sport you love?
That’s what Erwin had to do to pay for his whole tuition at Florida State University. In 1982, he went straight to the director of FSU Intramural Sports and asked for a job, and was put into a referee training program.
In his senior year, 1986, he officiated the intramural championship game and from then on “got the bug."
It wasn’t long after he graduated from FSU that he would be rising through the ranks in high school basketball. Doing youth and JV games for the first two years, he broke into varsity by his third.
Despite having the time of his life, Erwin had to find a job that would pay the bills and put food on the table for himself and his wife.
“After college, I started my career in banking … I realized that this is what pays the bills. But I still committed to doing high school games and doing games on Saturdays.”
But who knew you can connect banking with basketball? Erwin sure found a way.
His job transferred him to West Palm Beach where the officials association, ECBOA, needed a treasurer. So, you bet, he just slipped in perfectly.
In 1994, Erwin went on to serve as the treasurer for ECBOA for 23 years before he decided to run for president in 2017.
During his time as treasurer, Erwin earned a collection of awards for his valuable efforts as an official and mentor to the younger referees.
In 2007, he was awarded the Boys Basketball Official of the Year, and in 2009, he got the Girls Basketball Official of the Year, both for Florida.
He went on to officiate in five state championship games and five semifinal games for both boys and girls. His most memorable game was the 1997 Boys 6A State Final Championship game.
“My very first, and to this day, my most memorable game was the 6A final in Lakeland — which was the largest classification at the time,” Erwin said. “Miami Senior (High School) was the team, and they were No. 2 in the entire country. Their star was Udonis Haslem who, of course, (now) plays for the (Miami) Heat. I did nine other finals after that, but you never forget your first.”
Imagine the adrenaline rush you experience in your first-ever state final. Every athlete goes through it, including the referees. It’s all in how one handles the pressure and responsibility that comes with it.
But if Erwin is such a great referee and officiated in all these finals, then why haven’t we seen him in the collegiate level? Or the NBA?
Well, he actually did officiate college basketball for four years. He really enjoyed the competitiveness, learned better skills and further developed his training and knowledge.
“It made me a better official. But I always kept going back to high school. I want to be the best high school basketball official I can be. I certainly admire those who have gone to higher levels, whether its D1 college or the NBA, my true passion was just always high school.”
So what now? He has achieved everything a high school official can do.
Now he wants to continue to improve the referee association and continue to develop young referees to be the best they can be.
His passion for high school basketball is, and will forever be, unmatched.
Could he have gone and been a pro referee? Maybe. Would he change anything if he could do it all over again? Absolutely not.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Joe Erwin, local basketball referee, recognized as one of nation's best
