Sports Column | Les Winkeler: Roger Grumley will be missed by many - The Southern
For more than 20 years, Roger Grumley of Eldorado was a fixture at high school sporting events.
Yet, it’s likely most sports fans couldn’t pick him out of a lineup.
That’s just the way Roger would have wanted it. Grumley died this week, succumbing to a non-alcohol related liver disease.
For a couple decades, Roger and his officiating partner, Eric Brannock, worked some of the most important prep basketball and football games in the region. They called a state championship game together.
While Roger worked tons of high-profile games, he managed to stay under the radar.
I’ve never been an official. I just don’t have the temperament for it. You get on my case, you’re getting a technical or tossed. I’ve never been a coach. And, after 40-plus years of covering sporting events, I’m still not sure I understand the complicated relationship between coaches and officials.
Despite those shortcomings, I have to believe Roger would be considered an official’s official. He was everything an official is supposed to be.
First, he exercised outstanding judgment.
I’m sure he had some memorable run-ins with coaches over the course of his career. But, for the life of me, I don’t remember seeing any. And, given the volatile personalities of some coaches in the region and the number of games Roger officiated, that’s amazing.
Although Roger was low-key on the floor, that didn’t mean coaches and players didn’t respect him. He carried himself with a quiet dignity and earned the respect of everyone on the floor. He earned that respect by doing things the right way.
Roger administered the game without injecting himself into it.
While talking to mutual acquaintances since his death, I noted that Roger was one of those officials that you just didn’t notice. He was so good that when you were driving home you’d be hard-pressed to remember who called the game.
Personally, that’s my concept of a great official. One thing was certain, if you attended a game and you saw Grumley and Brannock take the floor, you knew it would be a well officiated contest.
Given all those things, if you’ve guessed Roger was a pleasant guy to be around, you’re correct.
If I recall correctly, the first conversation Roger and I had was on the sideline of a playoff football game. It was late in a tight game, and Roger was back to mark a punt. I was standing near him on the sideline when one of the teams called a timeout.
Roger came over and the conversation went something like this, “Good game huh? You got any other scores?”
Although I’d seen Roger dozens of times previously, we had never spoken. That broke the ice. We’ve spoken many times since, largely focused on prep sports in Southern Illinois.
Roger retired from officiating a couple years ago. He has been difficult to replace on the floor and he’ll be more difficult to replace as a person.
LES WINKELER is the former sports editor of The Southern Illinoisan. Contact him at les@winkelerswingsandwildlife.com, on Twitter @LesWinkeler.
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
2020-07-09 22:49:00Z
https://thesouthern.com/sports/sports-column-les-winkeler-roger-grumley-will-be-missed-by-many/article_b6c3af7a-82bb-5188-96fd-e0f5b6cc3189.html
CBMikAFodHRwczovL3RoZXNvdXRoZXJuLmNvbS9zcG9ydHMvc3BvcnRzLWNvbHVtbi1sZXMtd2lua2VsZXItcm9nZXItZ3J1bWxleS13aWxsLWJlLW1pc3NlZC1ieS1tYW55L2FydGljbGVfYjZjM2FmN2EtODJiYi01MTg4LTk2ZmQtZTBmNWI2Y2MzMTg5Lmh0bWzSAQA
les
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Sports Column | Les Winkeler: Roger Grumley will be missed by many - The Southern"
Post a Comment