Aug. 6—John Nelson, who was commended recently by the Georgia High School Association for a half-century as a referee and umpire, “never thought I’d hang around this long, but I love it, and you do have to love it.”
“Some nights, you may not have had your best night, but you regroup, because you can’t let one night spoil it,” said Nelson, who has called Dalton home for more than 50 years. “I’ve been lucky and blessed.”
Nelson is “a legend,” and even after 50 years officiating various sports and collecting many honors, he’ll never turn down a request to officiate a charitable game, said Tom Pinson, who began officiating a quarter-century ago following Nelson’s encouragement. Nelson does it “for the love of the game.”
Nelson played basketball most of his life, and he began officiating in his early 20s as a way to remain close to the game he loves so much. Basketball remained his favorite sport to officiate, but he added baseball, softball and football.
While football is one night a week, basketball officiating is three nights a week throughout the season, and “you could work every day” for baseball and softball, he said. “You have to limit yourself.”
Basketball is the most physically demanding on one’s body, because of the constant running up and down the court, but Nelson remained in condition for his officiating by regularly walking, running and biking, he said, noting, “You have to prepare your body.”
That preparation is also necessary for early-season football games in the Georgia heat, he said.
“I have to drink water all week” so as not to dehydrate.
Nelson made the 2020-21 season his last for basketball, baseball and softball, but he’ll continue with football, he said. “I thought 50 years was about enough” of those other sports.
During five decades, Nelson has witnessed numerous changes, but none more so than in girls basketball, which was a half-court game when he started, with six players for each team on the court, three “forwards” who had to remain in their teams’ front-court, and three “guards” who had to stay in their team’s back-court, he said. “It was good to see that change,” and he also witnessed the introduction of the three-point line for both boys and girls basketball.
Nelson would like to see high schools institute a shot clock, like in college and pro basketball, he said.
“It would speed the game up and be good for the game.”
Softball and baseball umpiring took Nelson around the country, from Waterloo, Iowa, to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He also umpired for competitions at military bases in Utah and Florida, and he was certified by the International Softball Federation — only the third person from Georgia to achieve that distinction — so he could have umpired in the Olympics, although he was never called upon. He’s in the National Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame, the Georgia Softball Hall of Fame and the Dalton Parks and Recreation Softball Hall of Fame.
Though Nelson has heard his fair share of armchair officiating and insults over the decades, he never felt any related to his race, and it is believed his physical presence, professionalism and approach may have all played a role in that.
A friend he attended officiating camps with would often tell him, “John, as big as you are, you’re not going to have any problems,” the 6 feet, 7 inches tall Nelson said with a laugh.
Nelson always dressed professionally — his shoes “always shined” — and “he’s an authority on the rules,” said Pinson, the director of the Mack Gaston Community Center. Nelson “always showed he knew his job, and he was there for the game.”
“Confidence is a big thing when you step out there,” Pinson added. “People recognize ‘Oh, we have good officials today.'”
“When they give you that rule book, don’t just throw it down,” Nelson said. “When you have time, look it over, because you have to stay on top of the rules, and you have to be certain” when discussing rules with coaches.
Simply being prepared and on time goes a long way, Nelson said. He arrives at least 90 minutes prior to a football kickoff to “sit with the crew and talk about our responsibilities in the game.”
Nelson has been a mentor to Pinson and many other officials, Pinson said.
“He told me it’s one of the best part-time jobs you can have, but don’t just be average. Go to umpire schools to be good at it. When you get better, people recognize it, and they ask you to go to the next level.”
He always looked to improve, Nelson said. If an evaluator “told me something I needed to work on, I’d go with it.”
Early in his career, he observed well-regarded officials to learn from them, he said.
“If it was somebody I thought knew what they were doing, I’d watch them.”
While “make-up calls” in sports are often speculated about by fans, Nelson does not believe in them, he said.
“You just say, like fishing, ‘That one got away,’ but you don’t make anything up.”
As an official, “the first thing you have to do is block out the crowd,” Nelson said. “I never looked at them,” because if an official begins paying attention to the second-guessers in the bleachers, “you lose control of what you’re doing” on the court, field or diamond.
As for argumentative coaches, “you tell them early to stop,” he said. “If not, you’ll (feel) the consequences.”
Nelson, whose flexible schedule as a truck driver allowed him to officiate so many games, does believe fans and coaches have become more disrespectful to officials over the years, which is leading to a shortage of officials.
“Parent behavior is worse, and some of the younger coaches are really out of whack,” he said. Increasingly, more high school football games may need to be played on nights other than Fridays, because there aren’t enough officials to cover all the Friday games.
Nelson never lost his zeal for officiating.
“You’re nervous all day before a big game, and it stays that way until you blow your first whistle,” he said. “Then, you get into the flow of the game.”