Everyones joking with him now. And they found out. He felt wobbly and the next thing he remembers seeing is the ceiling of the stadium. Add to that the extreme climate conditions that officials encounter and you quickly understand the importance of physical conditioning for officials. Over the next seven years, Mike rose to become a star for both his high school and college teams, my dad became a coach and my love for the game was cemented. REFEREE Bert Smith collapsed during the first half of the USC - Gonzaga game during the Elite Eight of the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Video: Referee Collapses In Scary Scene During Gonzaga-USC Game The NCAA announces that Smith has returned to the hotel, and its true. You meet people persons, individual persons, team players and egomaniacs. I looked at him and said, Oh no you didnt. It allows me the privilege to do something I love, being part of the greatest game, mens college basketball. I love officiating for the same reason I love my wife. Active referees are listed in bold. Bad news for ACC basketball: One of the sport's best referees is Do we do the things with our family and friends that have value to them? Look at that picture again. "But do we say 'I love you' enough? Referee Bert Smith in Stable Condition After Collapsing During Gonzaga Bunch of sixth-graders at Garfield Park in Chicago. It offers a chance to lead by example. After that he studies business administration at SUNY-Buffalo, gets a job at Avis Budget Group, moves fast up the ranks as his career takes him to Chicago, Houston and finally the Cincinnati area. And how did the court get so blurry all of a sudden, like someone smeared it with Next thing he remembers, hes looking at the ceiling of Lucas Oil Stadium. View the profiles of professionals named "Bert Smith" on LinkedIn. The whole thing is mysterious, because hes a sculpture of a man, 6-3 and 195 pounds. Why cant he catch his breath? Referee Bert Smith is taken off the court on a stretcher after collapsing during the first half of an Elite 8 game between Gonzaga and Southern California during the first half of an Elite 8 game . Referee Bert Smith is tended to by training staff and medical personnel after collapsing during the first half of the Elite Eight round game between the USC Trojans and the Gonzaga Bulldogs during . Bert Smith told the publication the fall might have saved his life. Heres why: The doctor said, Listen, tell you what, why dont you just sit on the stretcher? I said OK, I can do that, Smith says and now hes laughing. He didn't have a headache or blurry vision. Where did it come from? Referee 'alert and stable' after collapsing during - oregonlive Earlier: Tonight's Elite Eight game between Gonzaga and USC was stopped momentarily after veteran referee Bert Smith collapsed on the court. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. To me, he offers an aside: Hes taking advantage of a guy in a weakened position., The doc says, Swing your legs around. I swing my legs around, and they go:Click-click-click-click. Official collapses during NCAA basketball game | The Hill The NCAA announces that Smith has returned to the hotel, and its true. Heres why: The doctor said, Listen, tell you what, why dont you just sit on the stretcher? I said OK, I can do that, Smith says and now hes laughing. He goes to IU Health Methodist. NCAA basketball official Bert Smith hasn't watched the moment that might have saved his life. And they heard the sound his head made I heard it too, 30 rows away when it slammed onto the court. The doctors who cared for him at Lucas Oil Stadium, Pat Kersey and Luke Berghoff; he appreciates their care, and understands their stretcher subterfuge. All rights reserved. A pulmonary embolism. Trammel had seen the video. Ref alert after collapsing during Gonzaga-USC, Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato. Nobody can say. If hes going to walk, might as well make it a long one. Another was former Indiana State coach Greg Lansing. Then again, isnt that what Bert Smith has always done? Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The 2021 ACC men's basketball tournament (officially the 2021 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament Presented by New York Life) was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Atlantic Coast Conference and held at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, from March 9 to 13, 2021. Referee Bert Smith is taken off the court on a stretcher after collapsing during the first half of an Elite Eight game between Gonzaga and USC during the first half of an Elite 8 game in the NCAA . 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Per the Star, he was treated at the stadium for two hours with vital checks on pulse, blood pressure and oxygen level that came back normal. First as an athlete growing up in Buffalo, a high school small forward, receiver and 400-meter runner, then some junior college basketball. Officials figure they run at least four miles during a game, and its not a jog but a series of sprints. Working a Friday night high school football game gives me goose bumps. Further examination revealed Smith, 56, had a blood clot in his lung, the Indianapolis St Referee Bert Smith is taken off the court on a stretcher after collapsing during the first half of an Elite 8 game between Gonzaga and Southern California during the first half of an Elite 8 game . Smith revealed in a lengthy interview with the Indianapolis Star the fall may have saved him. We make the calls and put up with the jeers because we love officiating. First as an athlete growing up in Buffalo, a high school small forward, receiver and 400-meter runner, then some junior college basketball. " Bert Smith, an official assigned to work the Gonzaga-Southern California regional final, left tonight's game after a medical issue ," the NCAA said in a statement. I looked at him and said, Oh no you didnt , He said he told the doctor at the time, "You little SOB, you tricked me!. When hes saying something serious, though, he slows down. Its because I was telling the doctor: You little SOB, you tricked me!. Smith, 56, regained consciousness, and he was alert as he was carried off the floor on a stretcher. You meet just about every type of person there is that exists and you have to learn to deal with all of them in a manner that shows that you deserve to be called an official. You meet cheaters, schemers, geniuses and idiots. 6 seed USC at Lucas Oil Stadium in . He started on the lowest levels as a youth league official in 1990, began working Division I games in 1993 and. Its hard for me to talk about now. I realized, even back then, how fun and rewarding each officiating experience was for the crew. Gallows humor, you call it, and its pretty funny, how Bert Smiths buddies tease him. Within seconds, theyd strapped the seated Smith onto it. That was the start of my passion for officiating basketball. CNN . Smith tested positive for the coronavirus in August, but doctors cant say whether theres a correlation between COVID-19 and his blood clot. Now Bert Smith is laughing again. OK, so the night of March 29. Then he becomes a basketball official. When you live something like I did, it hits you square in the eyes that you really have to value each day.". He wasnt one of those guys you couldnt talk to. Thats 1990. To me, he offers an aside: Hes taking advantage of a guy in a weakened position., The doc says, Swing your legs around. I swing my legs around, and they go: Click-click-click-click. The doctor says, Thats what Im taking you out on., I said: Listen, Doc, Im walking out of here. Bert. . By age 11, I was organizing all the neighborhood kids in pick up games and by age 14, I got certified to referee and started coaching. Berts on the sixth floor, and hes putting on his mask to run the stairs down to the fifth floor for ice, or to run up to the eighth floor to see his buddies. For now, hes at his home in Florence, Ky., just outside of Cincinnati, relaxing and watching the Masters golf tournament while medicating an ailment that, if not caught after that fall, could have eventually been much worse. After completing my doctorate, I returned to officiating. Something doesnt add up. Berts on the sixth floor, and hes putting on his mask to run the stairs down to the fifth floor for ice, or to run up to the eighth floor to see his buddies. They were pretty intense, man. You could talk to him during a game. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Bert Smith, the NCAA official who fainted during an Elite Eight matchup between Gonzaga and USC last week, said Friday he collapsed over a blood clot in his lung. Smith was put on blood thinners and discharged two days later with the clot gone. Then he becomes a basketball official. Oh, Ill be back. Turns out, it was something worse. Do we give an extra hug enough? Trammel was at Methodist the night of March 30. The clot restricted enough oxygen to Smith that he passed out during the game. Bert Smith NCAA men's basketball official, 27th season My fitness is important to me. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I love being part of the game. The Big League College World Series (last August in Kalamazoo, Mich.) was probably the most fun Ive had on a ball field. Hes on the stretcher, and hes not even a little bit happy about it. When hes telling a funny story, which happens quite a bit, Bert Smith talks quickly. There was an error submitting your subscription. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. You went down because you had a blood clot in your lung.. Over the years Ive been blessed with so many highlights but have found a simple phrase that sums it all up: Special Soccer Moments, derived from the poem June Goal, written by my Dad in 1976.
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