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He served more than two decades, and was first black official to work state basketball championship game
By David Lee Morgan Jr.
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Saturday, Jul 19, 2008
He's 82, but it's a young 82. That's how Gene Scruggs feels about himself.
''Six years ago, I had both of my knees replaced and I haven't looked back,'' said Scruggs, a former star athlete at Garfield High School and the University of Akron, where he's in both the football and track halls of fame.
Scruggs has been a father figure to many men and women who crossed his path, and he's proudest of his career as a high school official.
Recently, Scruggs was inducted into the Ohio High School Officials Hall of Fame, an honor he never expected but is proud to have earned. Scruggs became a registered official in basketball, football and wrestling in 1957 and retired in 1982.
''I can't tell you how much of an honor it was when I received the letter telling me I was going to be inducted,'' he said. ''I had been nominated before
but it just never happened. I didn't know if I would eventually get in, but I just stayed patient and now I'm very grateful for this honor.''
Scruggs, who received his master's degree in education from UA in 1968, made history by becoming the first black official in Ohio to work a state championship basketball game in 1973.
Scruggs said in his early years of officiating, it was tough finding games because of the color of his skin. Scruggs said he has a soft spot in his heart for Wayne and Medina counties, because that's where he got most of his work as a young official.
''I was treated well there,'' Scruggs said. ''I was there as an official, not a black man.''
The late Milan Zban, a veteran reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal, wrote a story about Scruggs in 1973 in which Scruggs talked about some of his more notable experiences.
''I was scheduled to work a weekend game at Smithville, but in the middle of the week, I developed a muscular eye disease and in addition to medication, I was told I had to wear an eye patch over one eye for six weeks,'' Scruggs told Zban.
''When I called Smithville and told them my problems, they said they'd take me patch and all. But I thanked them and said no. No way was I going to work a game wearing a patch over one eye. Could you imagine those fans if I ever blew [a call]?''
Meanwhile, Scruggs said he got into officiating in a ''round-bout way.'' He was coaching a youth team at the Urban League in the '50's.
''I was sitting up on a stage watching my team play and an official called a foul,'' Scruggs said. ''I kind of kicked my foot against the stage, both officials looked over to me and one of them gave me a technical. Then the other official said to me, 'If you think you know so much, why don't you get an official's card and referee?' ''
That's exactly what Scruggs did the very next day and his distinguished career as an official began.
''Some guys looked at it as picking up extra dollars and they never studied the game,'' Scruggs said. ''You need to read that [rule] book back and forth and forth and back. You almost have to sleep with that book. And also, the thing that helped me the most was doing CYO games and youth league games. I just worked games because I wanted to learn.''
One of Scruggs' mentors was veteran official George Davis, who wanted to see Scruggs excel.
''I worked a lot of games with George because he had already gone through what I was going through,'' Scruggs said. ''There were times when we'd be driving at night and George would have a flashlight and would read the rule book to me.''
Scruggs then used the knowledge he learned from Davis and began mentoring other up-and-coming black officials, like Bill Alford, who retired from officiating after a 31-year career.
''I can't say enough about Bill Alford,'' Scruggs said.
And Alford felt the same way about Scruggs.
''He was the driving force that encouraged me to become a basketball referee,'' said Alford, who was inducted into the Summit County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
''Gene spent many hours on and off the court as my tutor and helped me understand the role and responsibilities of being a good referee.''
As Scruggs reflected on his career as an official, he said he felt good knowing his peers looked at him as a man of integrity and strong character.
''It was quite an experience,'' he said proudly. ''I don't think I called more than two or three technical fouls in my career. I didn't have any problems with anyone. I was strict, but more important, I was always fair.''
David Lee Morgan Jr. can be reachedat dlmorgan@thebeaconjournal.com.
He's 82, but it's a young 82. That's how Gene Scruggs feels about himself.
Get the full article here.
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