Just learned from a Facebook friend that Dick Budd died last week.
Dick was one of the better local referees in South Jersey back when my kids were playing. I knew Dick was an optician by trade but did not know he was an Army veteran who served in Korea (as I did) and a Rotarian as my father was.
As a coach or parent you were always happy to see Dick Budd referee your game. Not only was he a nice guy, he knew the Laws Of The Game, was fair and hustled. It didn't hurt that he had a sense of humor. In one game we ran a trick play on a free kick where one of our girls stepped over the ball without touching it, causing the other team to encroach - which should have given us another free kick which we would have used for a quick restart. Dick missed the stepover and did not call the encroachment, causing howls from the parents. Instead of getting upset, he just shrugged and said, "What can I say? I blew it." Heckling became laughter and earned respect.
Dick's obituary is here:
