NBA’s Delaney Wins Gold Whistle Award

(RACINE, Wis.) — National Basketball Association referee Bob Delaney has been named by the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) as the recipient of its 2003 Gold Whistle Award.

The NASO Gold Whistle Award is presented annually to an official recognized for community involvement, achievement in officiating and a reputation of strong integrity and ethics. Delaney is the second NBA referee to receive the award since its inception in 1987. Tommy Nuñez received the honor in 1999.

The award will be presented during a banquet honoring Delaney on June 23, at the Portland Marriott Downtown in Portland, Ore. Fox 40 International will host the banquet, and several past Gold Whistle Award honorees will be present. The banquet is part of the activities surrounding the NASO "Sports Officiating 2003" Conference.

NASO President Barry Mano, NBA Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson and NBA Director of Officials Ed Rush, will participate in the award presentation to Delaney, whose accomplishments will be featured in the 7/03 issue of Referee magazine.

Pick a charity, almost any charity, in the communities surrounding Sarasota, Fla., and Bob Delaney is involved. Accolades come from such organizations as Easter Seals of Southwest Florida; Girls Inc., an outreach center for girls’ ages six to 14; a local cancer research project and more.

Delaney has his hand in a variety of charitable causes and it seems that no one in need is turned away. Despite his grueling travel schedule as an NBA official, every Christmas Delaney presents NBA-purchased gifts to the boys at Manatee County Prison Boot Camp. Sometimes those are the only presents the kids receive. When his schedule permits, Delaney speaks at the camp’s holiday dinner. He encourages the young men to accept their failures and challenges them to make a difference with their lives.

Delaney also serves as chairman of The Meadows Cup Golf Tournament benefiting Easter Seals of Southwest Florida. In 2002, more than $70,000 was raised for disabled children.

Still another special charity close to Delaney is "Project Heart." That program involves not only a financial contribution, but Delaney oversees a local campaign to provide gifts of school supplies and clothing to the homeless students of Manatee County.

In January 2003, Delaney began serving a term on the board of directors for the Lakewood Ranch Charitable Funds Foundation.

Delaney’s past experience as a law enforcement officer has brought him close to other causes outside his own community. As a leader of the NBA Referees Association, Delaney initiated contributions that provided travel expenses for families of the victims of Oklahoma City’s Murrah Federal Building bombing to attend the trial in Denver, and following the Sept. 11 attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., he coordinated efforts with the NBA to have members of the officiating staff visit rescue workers at Ground Zero in New York City. Fifty-nine NBA officials made the visit and stopped at two New York City fire stations, donating shirts, hats and jackets to firefighters involved in the rescue efforts. The referees also provided financial support to the Twin Towers Fund on behalf of their association.

Delaney is an admired official in his community, often helping at clinics and speaking to youth groups encouraging young people to become officials. One of his speaking themes is "Never Be Average" — a presentation centered on life skills, both on the court and in everyday life.

Delaney has certainly walked the walk by being an example not only to his fellow citizens in Sarasota and surrounding communities, but also to his officiating partners in the NBA.

"Bob is involved in numerous charities," says Rush. "He devotes lots of time and energy to numerous causes. He’s a very solid guy who has recently given up his union leadership position to devote more time to his family and charity work. I’m very happy for him. He’s a very deserving honoree."

The NASO Gold Whistle Award was created in 1987 by the NASO board of directors. It recognizes the efforts of outstanding citizens who also happen to be sports officials. The award’s criteria emphasize a candidate’s sports career, overall integrity and service to the community.

To be eligible for consideration for the award, a candidate must have a minimum of 10 years experience as an active official but does not have to be currently active to be selected; must exhibit a "service above self" attitude demonstrated by a record of community involvement, public service or other engagements that clearly have had a positive, motivating effect on others; and must be regarded as a person of integrity who possesses the qualities held in high regard by the community of sports officials. Lastly, the candidate must have a consistent record of presenting officiating in a positive light to the world of sports in general.

Previous NASO Gold Whistle Award winners are former Director of NFL Officiating Art McNally and fellow NFL officials Jim Tunney and Tom Dooley; Nuñez; MLB umpires Larry Young, Larry Barnett, Steve Palermo and the late Durwood Merrill; NHL officials Ron Asselstine and Paul Stewart; the late amateur football official Ed Myer; the late Pete Pavia, a sporting goods store owner and longtime collegiate basketball official; educator and NCAA basketball official Ed Hightower; Iowa High School Association Executive Director Bernie Saggau; and longtime amateur sports official and trainer Ted Butcher.