Mendy Rudolph
Mendy Rudolph | |
---|---|
Sportscaster (1975–1977) | |
Spouse | Susan (1973–his death) |
Basketball career | |
Position | NBA referee |
Officiating career | 1953–1975 |
Basketball Hall of Fame |
Marvin "Mendy" Rudolph (March 8, 1926 – July 4, 1979)
Following his career as a referee, he was a color commentator for CBS Sports's coverage of the NBA on CBS for two seasons from 1975 to 1977 and he appeared in a television advertisement for Miller Lite. He was a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2007.[2]
Personal life
Early life and family
Born in
Rudolph was married twice. His first marriage was to his childhood sweetheart and together they raised three children, but the relationship became troubled and eventually ended.[9] In 1961, he met Susan, a receptionist at the WGN office in New York City, while both worked for the station.[9] At the time, Rudolph worked at WGN as an additional job outside of officiating, which was common among referees from his era.[10] Mendy and Susan Rudolph were married in 1973.[9] Two years later, their first child, Jennifer Rudolph, was born.[9]
Gambling problem
Throughout his life, Rudolph suffered from a
NBA officiating career
Early years
Rudolph was recommended by Eddie Gottlieb, coach and owner of the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors at the time, to then-NBA commissioner Maurice Podoloff, after observing Rudolph officiate an exhibition game.[3][4] Rudolph was hired by the NBA in February 1953,[3] midway through the 1952–53 NBA season and he became the youngest official in the league.[15] In his early years with the NBA, Rudolph quickly became an established official as he worked playoff games within his first two years in the league.[16]
Memorable NBA Finals games
Rudolph officiated the
Rudolph and Strom officiated another notable game in the
Head of officials
As his career progressed in the league, Rudolph took on responsibilities beyond officiating. In 1966, he was named referee-in-chief and worked alongside Dolph Schayes, who was hired as the league's supervisor of officials that year to replace Sid Borgia.[19] In this position, he oversaw areas that pertained to referee mechanics, techniques, and rule interpretations.[19] Rudolph, who was widely respected by his peers, coaches, and players, wrote the NBA Official's Manual and Case Book. [20]
While he served as head of officials, the NBA lost four veteran officials—
By the 1969-70 season, Rudolph successfully encouraged the league to adopt a plain gray referee uniform over the traditional "zebra" shirt to de-emphasize the presence of officials in games.[22]
Final years
By 1975, Rudolph's health condition began to deteriorate and he was forced to retire after suffering a
Post-officiating career
Broadcasting
Following his officiating career, Rudolph transitioned to a career in
Television commercial
In 1976, Rudolph was featured in a
Legacy
Rudolph died on July 4, 1979, from a
Known for his charisma, personality, and iconic stature on the court, Rudolph symbolized NBA officiating during the early years of the NBA to fans of professional basketball
Strom was also an advocate to get Rudolph enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[4] On April 2, 2007, Rudolph was announced as one of the seven members of the Basketball Hall of Fame's Class of 2007 to be enshrined in September 2007,[13] twenty-eight years after his death. It was reported that the length of time for Rudolph to become elected was the result of his gambling lifestyle.[32][33] He became the thirteenth referee to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.[34]
References
- ^ Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from the originalon July 14, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
- ^ "Hall of Fame 2007". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
- ^ a b c d e f Kellar, Jerry (2007-04-12). "Rudolph's career celebrated with Hall honor". Times Leader.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Rudolph, Mendy". Jews In Sports. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
- Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from the originalon September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
- ^ Isaacs, Stan (1969-02-26). "Rudolph in Action: a Graceful Figure". The 1969 Chronicles: A Sports Writer's Notes. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
- ^ a b "Phil Jackson, Mendy Rudolph Elected to Basketball Hall of Fame". Continental Basketball Association. 2007-04-02. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
- ^ a b "Mendy Rudolph named to Hall of Fame". The Citizens' Voice. 2007-04-03. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Berkow, Ira (1992-05-31). "The Temptations of a Man of Integrity". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
- ^ Blake, Marty (2007-09-07). "Blowing the Whistle on Mendy Rudolph". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
- ^ a b Fitzpatrick, Frank (2007-07-25). "A blow to O'Hara's tradition". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
- Sporting News. Archived from the originalon 2007-10-02. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
- ^ a b c "Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2007". National Basketball Association. 2007-04-02. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
- ^ a b Malwitz, Rick (2007-07-26). "Odds are in favor of compulsive gambling intruding on the NBA". Home News Tribune. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
- ^ a b "HOF Speech: Susan on Behalf of Mendy Rudolph". National Basketball Association. 2007-09-08. Archived from the original (Windows Media) on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
- ISBN 0-671-66108-6.
- ^ a b Ramsey, David. "When the Dust Settled". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
- ISBN 0-671-66108-6.
- ^ ISBN 0-671-66108-6.
- ^ "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Mendy Rudolph". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
- ^ ISBN 0-671-66108-6.
- ISBN 0-671-66108-6.
- ^ a b "This Date in History-November". National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
- ^ a b "Old Time Radio Shows". Archived from the original on 2006-11-07. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
- ^ a b Young, Bob (2001-06-03). "Greatest Game Ever". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
- AskMen.com. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
- ^ a b c "View 50 years of the greatest and some of the funniest Beer TV Commercials from the USA". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-07-29.
- CNN Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2007-07-30.
- Advertising Age. 1999. Archived from the originalon 2005-12-18. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
- ^ Blinebury, Fran (2005-11-28). "NBA referee is whistling a different tune". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
- ^ ISBN 0-671-66108-6.
- ^ May, Peter (2007-07-29). "Here's the deal with Jefferson". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2007-07-31.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Frank (2007-09-07). "Mendy Rudolph headed into basketball Hall". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2007-05-14. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
- ^ Brown, Garry (2007-09-08). "Rudolph, ref, NBA pioneer, inducted". The Republican. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
External links
- "Hall of Fame Feature: Mendy Rudolph" (Windows Media). National Basketball Association. Retrieved 2007-09-14.[permanent dead link]