Officials

John Moran

Year Inducted: 1991

Category: Officials

Schools / Organizations: 
IHSA
AAU
NJCAA/NAIA/NCAA

Biography:  John Moran, of Rock Island, retired in 1990 after 35 years of basketball officiating. He got started through the help of the late Don Morris of Alleman High School after Moran moved to the Quad-Cities area. Moran gave a lot to the game during his 35 seasons and he never lost his Irish sense of humor. He was always in control and his sense of humor helped coaches such as Carroll Herman of Illinois Central College, who considers himself an intense coach, to lighten up and keep the game in proper perspective. Moran joined the IHSA officiating ranks in May, 1956.  During his career, Moran officiated more than 2500 basketball games at all levels – high school, junior college, college and AAU.  Moran worked three JUCO state tourneys, 26 years in the IHSA tourney series, 18 Quincy College Holiday tournaments, 12 NAIA State Tournaments, two NCAA small college tournaments and four years of AAU competition. Moran says the name of the game, under his direction, was to let the players play the game and have FUN while doing it. He feels, “it has been great being associated with the game of basketball in Illinois and I take great pride in saying I officiated games with the finest coaches in the United States.” Moran remembers working a Kewanee game against the late John Thiel at Galesburg. “John always had a towel in his hands during the game and after one call he didn’t like, he threw the towel way up almost to the ceiling. I yelled at the top of my voice, ‘if that towel comes down it’s a technical.’ That towel never came down. It stuck up on the basketball support and I was so cracked up I had to turn my back and run to the other end.” Thiel got a laugh and no technical and Moran’s listeners also got a great laugh whenever Moran recalled one of his many memories. 

John Moran died on April 12, 2010 at the age of 77.