Richie Powers
Encyclopedia
Richard F. "Richie" Powers (October 14, 1930 – July 31, 1998) was a professional basketball referee
in the National Basketball Association
(NBA) from 1956 to 1979. He worked 25 NBA Finals
games, including the triple-overtime Game 5 contest in the 1976 NBA Finals
between the Phoenix Suns
and the Boston Celtics
, considered "The Greatest Game Ever Played" as well as three All-Star Games. Following his career in the NBA, Powers was a sportscaster
for WABC-TV
.
and played baseball
under Frank McGuire
. Before joining the NBA, Powers worked as a minor league baseball
umpire
, reaching the Eastern League
.
, which was notable for controversial moments involving Powers during the overtime periods. With the score tied 101–101 in the first overtime, Boston's Paul Silas
stole the ball with three seconds remaining and attempted to call a time-out towards Powers. Boston had no timeouts remaining, which if recognized, would have resulted in a technical foul
and free throw
s awarded to Phoenix. However, Powers did not acknowledge Silas's request for the time-out as time expired in the overtime period. Mendy Rudolph
and Rick Barry
, color commentator
s for the CBS Sports
telecast, were quick to note that Silas was signaling for a timeout at the end of the first overtime but Powers ignored the request. Boston went on to win the game in the third overtime period. According to the Suns organization, Powers later told a Phoenix golf professional that he didn't want to see the championship decided on a technicality. Angered over the incident, Al Bianchi
, then-assistant coach of the Suns, ordered a ring in which the words "Fuck You, Richie Powers" were inscribed.
Powers was also attacked in the same game by an irate Celtics fan on the court after making the decision to put one second back on the game clock following a made bank shot by the Celtics' John Havlicek
at the end of the second overtime that put Boston up by one point. The game clock expired as Havlicek made the field goal
and fans at the Boston Garden
stormed onto the court assuming the game was over. Rick Barry and play-by-play announcer Brent Musburger
were quick to note on the telecast of the game that two seconds remained, but Powers made the decision that one second remained in the second overtime period after order was restored in the arena.
) who did not strike during the 1977 playoffs. Two incidents in the 1978–79 season further reduced his reputation: In a February 1978 game between the New Jersey Nets
and Atlanta Hawks
, Powers, to avoid being badgered, told coaches Kevin Loughery
and Hubie Brown
that they could play zone defenses. One sportswriter in the arena reported this to the league which resulted in Powers being suspended for three weeks and fined $
2,500. In a November 8, 1978 game at the Spectrum
, Powers hit both Kevin Loughery
and then rookie Bernard King
with their third technical fouls, over the "limit" of two prescribed by an unwritten rule, although Powers claims he was not reminded that each person was hit with a previous technical foul by the two other officials working the game with him. This resulted in Powers being fined and suspended again.
Powers retired from the NBA after the 1978–79 season.
in New York, New York. After his contract expired, he became Director of Operations for the U.S. Basketball League in 1985. He left this position, presumably after the NBA signed most of the newly formed minor league's talent. After selling cable television subscriptions and cars, he returned to his former position with the USBL in 1990. Richie Powers was a long time member of Westchester Country Club
in Rye, New York
. He later died of a stroke in 1998 in Allentown, Pennsylvania
at the age of 67.
Official (basketball)
In basketball, an official is a person who has the responsibility to enforce the rules and maintain the order of the game. The title of official also applies to the scorers and timekeepers, as well as other personnel that have an active task in maintaining the game...
in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA) from 1956 to 1979. He worked 25 NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
games, including the triple-overtime Game 5 contest in the 1976 NBA Finals
1976 NBA Finals
The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the 1975-76 NBA season.-Background:The Phoenix Suns finished the season with 42 wins and 40 losses, but beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs and went on to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA...
between the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
and the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
, considered "The Greatest Game Ever Played" as well as three All-Star Games. Following his career in the NBA, Powers was a sportscaster
Sportscaster
In sports broadcasting, a commentator gives a running commentary of a game or event in real time, usually during a live broadcast. The comments are normally a voiceover, with the sounds of the action and spectators also heard in the background. In the case of television commentary, the commentator...
for WABC-TV
WABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
.
Early life and career
Powers attended St. John's UniversitySt. John's University (New York City)
St. John's University is a private, Roman Catholic, coeducational university located in New York City, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission in 1870, the school was originally located in the borough of Brooklyn in the neighborhood of Bedford–Stuyvesant...
and played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
under Frank McGuire
Frank McGuire
Frank Joseph McGuire was an American athletic coach who gained his greatest renown in collegiate basketball....
. Before joining the NBA, Powers worked as a minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
umpire
Umpire (baseball)
In baseball, the umpire is the person charged with officiating the game, including beginning and ending the game, enforcing the rules of the game and the grounds, making judgment calls on plays, and handling the disciplinary actions. The term is often shortened to the colloquial form ump...
, reaching the Eastern League
Eastern League (U.S. baseball)
The Eastern League is a minor league baseball league which operates primarily in the northeastern United States, although it has had a team in Ohio since 1989. The Eastern League has played at the AA level since 1963. The league was founded in 1923 as the New York-Pennsylvania League...
.
1976 NBA Finals
Powers officiated the triple-overtime Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals1976 NBA Finals
The 1976 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round for the 1975-76 NBA season.-Background:The Phoenix Suns finished the season with 42 wins and 40 losses, but beat the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the playoffs and went on to play the Boston Celtics in the NBA...
, which was notable for controversial moments involving Powers during the overtime periods. With the score tied 101–101 in the first overtime, Boston's Paul Silas
Paul Silas
Paul Theron Silas is a retired American professional basketball player and current head coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. He attended Creighton University, where he set an NCAA record for the most rebounds in three seasons and averaged 20.6 rebounds per game in 1963...
stole the ball with three seconds remaining and attempted to call a time-out towards Powers. Boston had no timeouts remaining, which if recognized, would have resulted in a technical foul
Technical foul
In basketball, a technical foul is any infraction of the rules penalized as a foul which does not involve physical contact during the course of play between players on the court, or is a foul by a non-player. The most common technical foul is for unsportsmanlike conduct...
and free throw
Free throw
In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points from a restricted area on the court , and are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team...
s awarded to Phoenix. However, Powers did not acknowledge Silas's request for the time-out as time expired in the overtime period. Mendy Rudolph
Mendy Rudolph
Marvin "Mendy" Rudolph was a professional basketball referee in the National Basketball Association for 22 years, from 1953 to 1975. Regarded as one of the greatest officials in NBA history, Rudolph officiated 2,112 NBA games and was the first league referee to work 2,000 games...
and Rick Barry
Rick Barry
Richard Francis Dennis Barry III , better known as Rick Barry, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is considered by many veteran basketball observers to be one of the greatest pure small forwards of all time as a result of his very precise outside shot, uncanny court vision,...
, color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
s for the CBS Sports
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is a division of CBS Broadcasting which airs sporting events on the American television network. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on West 52nd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on West 57th Street.CBS...
telecast, were quick to note that Silas was signaling for a timeout at the end of the first overtime but Powers ignored the request. Boston went on to win the game in the third overtime period. According to the Suns organization, Powers later told a Phoenix golf professional that he didn't want to see the championship decided on a technicality. Angered over the incident, Al Bianchi
Al Bianchi
Alfred A. “Al” Bianchi was born on March 26, 1932 in Long Island City, New York. He was an NBA professional basketball player, coach and general manager as well as consultant and NBA scout....
, then-assistant coach of the Suns, ordered a ring in which the words "Fuck You, Richie Powers" were inscribed.
Powers was also attacked in the same game by an irate Celtics fan on the court after making the decision to put one second back on the game clock following a made bank shot by the Celtics' John Havlicek
John Havlicek
John J. "Hondo" Havlicek is a retired American professional basketball player who competed for 16 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning eight NBA titles, half of them coming in his first four seasons....
at the end of the second overtime that put Boston up by one point. The game clock expired as Havlicek made the field goal
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...
and fans at the Boston Garden
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
stormed onto the court assuming the game was over. Rick Barry and play-by-play announcer Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger
Brent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
were quick to note on the telecast of the game that two seconds remained, but Powers made the decision that one second remained in the second overtime period after order was restored in the arena.
Firing
Powers' strength among the referees was diminished considerably when he was one of two referees (with Earl StromEarl Strom
Earl "Yogi" Strom was a professional basketball referee for 29 years in the National Basketball Association and for three years in the American Basketball Association . Strom is credited as the greatest referee in the history of the NBA and was known for his flamboyant style and ability to...
) who did not strike during the 1977 playoffs. Two incidents in the 1978–79 season further reduced his reputation: In a February 1978 game between the New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
, Powers, to avoid being badgered, told coaches Kevin Loughery
Kevin Loughery
Kevin Michael Loughery is an American former professional basketball player and coach.-Career Biography:...
and Hubie Brown
Hubie Brown
Hubert Jude "Hubie" Brown is a retired American basketball coach and a current television analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors being separated by 26 years...
that they could play zone defenses. One sportswriter in the arena reported this to the league which resulted in Powers being suspended for three weeks and fined $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
2,500. In a November 8, 1978 game at the Spectrum
Wachovia Spectrum
The Spectrum, formerly known as the CoreStates Spectrum , First Union Spectrum , and Wachovia Spectrum was an indoor arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, Powers hit both Kevin Loughery
Kevin Loughery
Kevin Michael Loughery is an American former professional basketball player and coach.-Career Biography:...
and then rookie Bernard King
Bernard King
Bernard King is a retired American professional basketball player at the small forward position in the NBA...
with their third technical fouls, over the "limit" of two prescribed by an unwritten rule, although Powers claims he was not reminded that each person was hit with a previous technical foul by the two other officials working the game with him. This resulted in Powers being fined and suspended again.
Powers retired from the NBA after the 1978–79 season.
Later life
After leaving the NBA, he became sportscaster on WABC-TVWABC-TV
WABC-TV, channel 7, is the flagship station of the Disney-owned American Broadcasting Company located in New York City. The station's studios and offices are located on the Upper West Side section of Manhattan, adjacent to ABC's corporate headquarters, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State...
in New York, New York. After his contract expired, he became Director of Operations for the U.S. Basketball League in 1985. He left this position, presumably after the NBA signed most of the newly formed minor league's talent. After selling cable television subscriptions and cars, he returned to his former position with the USBL in 1990. Richie Powers was a long time member of Westchester Country Club
Westchester Country Club
The Westchester Country Club was founded by John McEntee Bowman, who hired Walter Travis to design two golf courses in the Town of Harrison, New York as a luxury resort hotel. The West Course was designed for championship play and has hosted PGA tournaments since 1963...
in Rye, New York
Rye (city), New York
Rye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York...
. He later died of a stroke in 1998 in Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
at the age of 67.