HOF Officials

 

Gary Schiefer

Year Inducted: 2001

Category: Officials

Schools / Organizations: IHSA
WBOA

Biography: Gary Schiefer of Downers Grove had officiated high school basketball for 29 years at the time of his induction. Schiefer began working boys’ games and officiated seven IHSA regionals. In the mid-1980s, Schiefer also began working girls’ games and in 1990 switched fully to girls’ high school basketball.  Schiefer was assigned to 20 IHSA girls’ regionals, 15 sectionals and 12 super-sectionals. Four times – 1988, 1989, 1991 and 1998 – Schiefer was selected to work the girls’ state tournament. In 1991, Schiefer officiated the girls’ state championship game with usual partner Marlyn Marquardt, with whom he co-founded the Western Basketball Officials Association in 1977.  He figured he worked more than 5,000 games through 2001. He feels all high school basketball games are “special to the kids.” He says his preference to officiating girls’ games is because “girls coaches are actually more willing to discuss things instead of screaming.”  Schiefer had been the WBOA assignment chairman since 1977 and assigned officials for 48 schools. He is a past president of the WBOA and served the IHSA as a clinician.

Marlyn Marquardt

Year Inducted: 2001

Category: Officials

Schools / Organizations: IHSA
IESA

Biography: Marlyn Marquardt of LaGrange officiated high school basketball for 29 years until 1995. During that span Marquardt refereed in nearly 10 high school conferences and several junior high leagues and totaled more than 5,000 games.  Marquardt was a boys’ official from 1967 to 1986 and worked in state tournament series games. In 1977, the same year he was a co-founder of the Western Basketball Officials Association, Marquardt began officiating high school girls’ games. Several times Marquardt served as WBOA president.  In 1986, Marquardt directed all his efforts to girls high school basketball and regularly worked such tournaments as Maine West Thanksgiving, Wheaton North and Dundee-Crown Christmas. He worked many championship games, including those in the Mid-Suburban League and West Suburban Conference.  Marquardt officiated the IHSA Girls State Finals in 1990, 1991 and 1992. In 1990 and 1991 he was assigned to the championship game and in 1991 he worked with regular-season officiating partner Gary Schiefer.

Jim Padberg

Year Inducted: 2001

Category: Officials

Schools / Organizations: IHSA

Biography: It has been said it is great to retire at the top of your profession. That was certainly the case for Jim Padberg when he officiated Carmi’s visit to Salem on Feb. 16, 2001. That game ended a 31-year basketball officiating career. The Patoka resident was at the top of his game when he called it quits, as evidenced by his resume.  Padberg officiated 22 straight regionals since his first in 1979, sectionals for eight straight years since 1993 and found four straight supersectional assignments beginning in 1997. The clincher is he was selected to work Class A state tournaments in 1998, 1999 and 2000.  Padberg drew holiday tournament assignments at Centralia, Breese Mater Dei, Charleston, Vandalia and Dietrich. January conference and invitationals found Padberg at Nashville, Salem, Benton, Belleville East and Chester while Thanksgiving tournaments found him at Lawrenceville and Carlyle. In addition, Padberg was behind a whistle in the 1992 IBCA All-Star game.  Regular-season games between Carlyle and Trenton Wesclin in 1989 and 1990, when those schools alternated as Class A champions, were his favorite games to work. Padberg also had the distinction of umpiring three state baseball tournaments and is one of the few who have worked baseball and basketball state tournaments in the same year. Padberg died on February 20,  2013 at age 65. IBCA Hall of Fame coach Brad Weathers of Nashville delivered the eulogy at Padberg’s funeral.

Herschel Wilkinson, Jr.

Year Inducted: 1988

Category: Officials

Schools / Organizations: IHSA

Biography: The late Herschel Wilkinson Jr. of West Frankfort was a long-time official in Southern Illinois. He was also certified in football and baseball. Wilkinson began his officiating career in 1948 and continued until a health-enforced retirement in 1977. He consistently served schools of all sizes. His assignments included games in the South Seven, Black Diamond, North Egypt and the Southern Egyptian. Wilkinson worked the Centralia and Carbondale Holiday Tournaments. He was rated, surprisingly, as one of the top officials in the Metro East area and worked Sectionals there many times, even though he worked few regular season games in the area because of travel constraints. Wilkinson was a yearly fixture for IHSA District and Regional assignments. Wilkinson, a retired Old Ben Coal Company employee died on March 20, 1985.

Dan Chrisman

Year Inducted: 2001

Category: Officials

Schools / Organizations: IHSA
NCAA

Biography: Dan Chrisman of Oak Brook officiated Division I college basketball beginning in 1980. Chrisman was contracted to officiate with the Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, Conference USA, Mountain West, Missouri Valley and Midwestern Collegiate conferences. Since 1980, Chrisman was selected to work multiple conference tournaments, the ones typically assigned to officials for outstanding performances throughout the season.  His collegiate resume included 14 Division I NCAA Tournaments and six NIT tournaments. Three times Chrisman advanced to the NCAA Regional finals.  Chrisman started officiating IHSA games from 1971-79, including nine Class A and AA regionals and two AA super-sectionals. Chrisman often worked both the Elmhurst York and Hillside Proviso West Holiday Tournaments and was selected frequently for the championship games.