officials
Robert Wright
Year Inducted: 1983
Category: Officials
Schools / Organizations: IHSA
Big Ten, CCIW
Biography: Robert L. Wright along with Henry Bowman formed one of the most proficient and recognizable officiating teams in Illinois basketball history. Wright began officiating high school basketball at Mount Clemens, Michigan in 1947. Wright’s work in Illinois began at Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul in 1956. Besides Chanute Fields games Wright worked grade school, junior high, and high school games along with University of Illinois freshman and wheelchair games. He was certified in 1963. Retired in 1976, Wright had worked 63 district tourney games, 61 regional games, 18 sectional games, two super sectional games, and four state tourney games in 1973 and 1974. That would total 148 tournament games for the Illinois High School Association. In addition, Robert worked 24 different high school holiday and invitational tournaments. Wright officiated European championships from 1953 to 1956 along with international games in Egypt, France, Sweden, Luxembourg, and South Africa. In addition, he worked the National Wheelchair Championships from 1960 to 1974 and the Illinois State AAU tourneys from 1966 to 1968. Wright served as head finish judge and finish line judge in the IHSA state track meets for 12 years and officiated the state football playoff finals from 1977 to 1979. Wright also worked football, basketball, and baseball games in the CCIW and Big Ten conferences. Wright umpired the state baseball finals from 1964 to 1966.