Western Officiating Consortium's Dibler named Naismith Official of the Year
Naismith Official of the Year announcement // Referee Magazine feature: Bobby Dibler's Continuing Life Work
ATLANTA - Today, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Bobby Dibler as the 2019 Naismith Men’s College Official of the Year award winner for his contributions to the sport of basketball. Dibler will be honored Saturday, Sept. 21, at a ceremony during the 2019 Men’s Basketball Regional Officiating Clinic in Phoenix.
First awarded in 1988, the Naismith Official of the Year award recognizes individuals who display character, integrity and dignity and have contributed mightily to the growth, success and viability of college basketball. To be eligible, an individual must have been involved with the sport as a game official for a minimum of 20 years and worked both the NCAA Tournament and a conference tournament as a game official.
Dibler officiated his first college game for NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball in 1973 and continued calling games until 1993. His long and successful career as a college basketball game official included working 14 NCAA Tournaments, three Final Fours and two title games.
"I am extremely humbled and honored to receive the Naismith College Official of the Year award. I have been blessed to be associated with so many individuals to include NCAA personnel, conference and university administrators, coaches, and our leadership team,” said Dibler. “But most of all, to have the privilege of working very closely with our officials both on and off the court, who actively ‘put it on the line’ every night, is an honor above all honors."
Dibler has served as a coordinator of basketball officials for 25 years and currently leads one of the largest men's college basketball officiating alliances in the nation - the Western Officiating Consortium, of which the Pac-12 is a charter member along with the Mountain West. Dibler has led the Consortium since its inception in 2013-14 and has been instrumental in its expansion both in terms of league membership - adding the Big Sky, Big West, WCC and WAC - as well as training, development and evaluation of its officiating roster.
"Over the past six years, Bobby has been instrumental in leading the Western Officiating Consortium, while doing so with unmatched accountability and integrity developed during an extremely successful career on the court and a history of unique dedication to developing relationships off of it," said Jamie Zaninovich, Pac-12 Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer in charge of men's basketball. "All of the conferences in the West are indebted to Bobby’s devoted service, congratulate him on this most well deserved recognition and look forward to benefiting from his continued efforts to improve the WOC."
ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB
Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious national honors in all of college and high school basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men’s and women’s college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men’s and women’s college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA’s Lew Alcindor received the first Citizen Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women’s recipient in 1983. Corporate partners of the Naismith Awards include Citizen Watch Company, Jersey Mike’s and Werner Ladder.