THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 13, 1997 TAG: 9702130305
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A13 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ED MILLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 49 lines
In many ways, it's tougher to make it to the NBA as a referee than as a player. After all, there are more than 300 players, but only 58 refs.
Hank Armstrong made it, but now his career as an NBA referee is in jeopardy after Wednesday's grand jury indictment for tax evasion.
A native of New Jersey, Armstrong began his officiating career while a student at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C. Armstrong, who played football at Catawba, began by working intramural games. He moved up to high school games, and continued to officiate after graduating and moving to Virginia Beach to teach school.
Armstrong spent a year at Malibu Elementary and a year at Bayside High before taking a teaching and coaching job at Cox High. He soon began officiating college games and began working Atlantic Coast Conference games in 1976.
The NBA expanded its officiating crews from two referees to three for the 1978-79 season, and Armstrong was invited to a tryout camp. He didn't make it, and the NBA dropped its three-official experiment after one season.
Armstrong went back to working college games, until the NBA called again, in 1988. The league was again going to three-official crews - this time for good - and was adding two expansion teams as well.
Armstrong, then 44, didn't accept the offer immediately. He was worried about giving up the security of a 17-year teaching career.
``I went back and forth,'' Armstrong said at the time. ``I said `yes' in April. Then I woke up in June and said, `What the hell am I doing? I've been doing this for all these years and I've got security and I'm going to throw it out the window.' ''
Armstrong finally decided to take the job, which paid $32,000, plus benefits.
Another Hampton Roads official, Norfolk native Nolan Fine, joined the league the same year.
Two other Hampton Roads officials, Tony Brothers of Norfolk and LeRoy Richardson, formerly in the Navy at Dam Neck, have since joined the league. The league demands that its officials keep a low profile. Referees are prohibited from granting media interviews.
Dick Bowie, commissioner of the Southeastern Virginia Basketball Officials Association, has known Armstrong since 1967. Bowie watched him rise through the ranks.
``Hank has extraordinarily good judgment,'' said Bowie. ``He has a lot of guts. Those are both things you need to succeed as a referee.''
KEYWORDS: INDICTMENT NBA REFEREE FELONY TAX EVASION
IRS INVESTIGATION