Officials

Tim Dryer

Year Inducted: 2002

Category: Officials

Schools / Organizations:
IHSA
NCAA
NJCAA

Biography: 

It was 6,000 games ago when Downers Grove resident Tim Dryer started his officiating career. That’s the number of Illinois High School Association, NCAA, junior high and summer league games Dryer figured he officiated in his 28 year career through 2002. 

Dryer’s resume shows he has probably worked every Class AA school north of Interstate 80. He worked the Chicagoland Classic, Hoops in the Loop, Mayor Harold Washington and Mayor Richard Daley tournaments.

Dryer made the switch from boys’ basketball with the start of IHSA girls’ competition. He has worked 24 IHSA Regionals, 22 IHSA Sectionals, 15 IHSA Super-sectionals and the IHSA state finals in 1991 and 1992 and the championship game in 1996. Dryer was involved with the IHSA certified clinician program since its inception and conducted 25 clinics.

The IHSA named Dryer its head official for the IHSA Class A girls’ state tournament in 2002. His job included a Thursday night clinic before the tourney and then critiques of performances after each session.

Dryer was the co-founder of the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Officials Association (GCACOA). He was elected president in 1977 and still served in that capacity in 2002. The GCACOA was the first for girls at the high school level. It was formed to help promote women in sports and has featured 30 female officials in the group at one time or another. Dryer also served five years on the board of the Western Basketball Officials Association. 

Before conferences took over women’s sports, Dryer worked for the National Association of Girls in Women’s Sports, the Northern Illinois Board of Women’s Sports and the Illinois Association Amateur Women.

He worked the CCIW, CCAC, N4C, Midwest Collegiate Conference and the NJCAA, for which he officiated the regional finals since 1985. In 1997, Dryer resumed working boys’ basketball.