UPPER SANDUSKY — For five years, the Northern 10 Athletic Conference has honored one of its basketball officials with the John Gurney Memorial Award in recognition of officiating service and dedication.
On March 11, John Supon became the fifth recipient of the award. He couldn’t have been happier and prouder, not because of his personal accomplishments, but because this award particularly keeps the name of Supon’s good friend and officiating colleague, John Gurney, in the public consciousness.
Gurney himself was the first to receive the award prior to his passing.
“(John’s) been gone now three years,” Supon said. “(The late) Robbie Lee, of course, Wayne Blankenship and Russ Pitts have also received it.
“There are guys like (Colonel Crawford coach) David Sheldon, (Ontario coach) Joe Balogh and those kinds of guys who are basketball junkies — they know about John,” Supon continued. “But a lot of people don’t know about John. He had very high morals, integrity with coaches and players. He was a very likeable person but enforced (the rules of) the game and officiated it fairly, took it seriously.”
Supon just completed his 43rd year of basketball officiating and is still going strong though he has pared back his schedule somewhat in recent years. He calls games in the N10, Firelands, Ohio Cardinal Conference, Sandusky Bay Conference and the Mid-Buckeye Conference as well as some independent games.
Due to their proximity to each other, Gurney, from Shelby and Supon, from Crestline, worked countless games together over the years. There is a camaraderie among officials, working relationships on the court and friendships off the court, according to Supon.
“At tournament time, we’d work three to four nights in a row together and travel together,” Supon said. “That’s what makes officiating fun, not just refereeing the games but making friendships and hanging out with guys. Your get to know their families and they get to know yours. Everybody wanted to be around John, and everybody wanted to work with him.”
Supon and many of his fellow officials work out of the Mansfield basketball official association. Losing John Gurney continues to be a difficult experience for the group.
“John was the president of our Mansfield association for over 10 years,” Supon said. “He never had anybody run against him, that’s how much respect everybody had for him. When John got sick, it was devastating to our association and the game of basketball.”
Beyond the local level, Gurney has been recognized at the state level, being inducted into the Ohio officials’ hall of fame.
“Thank God, they did it while he was still in pretty good health,” Supon said. “That came in June and he passed away on February 16.”
Gurney never lost his desire to be around the game he loved even when his health prevented him from officiating. Supon noted that, a week before he passed, he was talking about going to the state tournament in March.
“All the years I worked with John, I don’t think I ever saw him give a technical foul, which I can’t say myself” Supon said, laughing. “I think coaches actually felt bad when they questioned John.”
Supon emphasized that he wants future generations to be cognizant of Gurney’s contributions to basketball.
“It’s an honor to receive any award with John Gurney’s name on it,” Supon said. “I make sure younger guys coming in know about John and I try to do the things that John did for the younger guys. He was always available to younger officials for questions and advice. John was very free with his time.”
With Supon and others carrying on his legacy, the John Gurney Memorial Award will no doubt continue to be prized for years to come.