Photos courtesy of Alabama Sports Officials Foundation Halll of Fame
Vestavia Hills resident Steve Newton, left, is being inducted into the Alabama Sports Officials Hall of Fame, along with Berry High School graduates Mike Murphy and Kathy Odom White.
A Vestavia Hills resident and two Berry High School graduates were inducted Saturday into the Alabama Sports Officials Foundation Hall of Fame.
Steve Newton of Vestavia Hills and Berry grads Mike Murphy and Kathy Odom White were among 10 people who were inducted during a 6 p.m. dinner ceremony at the Oxford Civic Center.
“I never envisioned it up until I got the notice,” Newton said of his induction. “I was very surprised, very humbled and very honored. It just hit be by surprise.”
Newton retired from officiating in 2021 after 46 years of service. He was a part of the Fox 6 Sideline Show for five years, providing a segment on high school rules, and was a referee state camp instructor with the Alabama High School Athletic Association for many years.
Newton served on the initial mechanics manual committee when the AHSAA developed its own manual and held many administrative positions with the Birmingham Football Officials Association. In 1996, he received the Dick Burleson Outstanding Member Award, which is named for Hall of Fame inaugural class member Dick Burleson.
Murphy , who graduated from Berry High School in 1969, said he enjoyed basketball and wasn’t good enough to continue playing.
“I got into refereeing intramurals in college,” he recalled. “I decided I wanted to stay active and involved in it. I had friends who were doing it, so I got into it.”
Murphy officiated basketball more than 35 years, working at both the high school and collegiate levels, and officiated baseball for eight years. As a member of the Capital City Basketball Officials Association, Murphy served as a board member and assigner for many years and worked numerous AHSAA state basketball tournaments.
Murphy joined the Gulf South Conference, what was known as one of the most respected Division II conferences in the country, and later became the conference’s supervisor of officials for both men’s and women’s basketball. One of his most memorable officiating jobs was the 1992 game in which Troy set several NCAA scoring records with 258 points in beating DeVry 258-141.
The officiating crew, which included fellow Hall of Fame members Paul Andrzejewski and Bill Gauldin, saw the most points by one team in a game (Troy’s 258), most points in a half (135), most field goals in a game (102), most field goals attempted in a game (190), most 3-pointers in a game (51), most assists in a game (65) and 10 players hit at least one 3-pointer in what is considered the highest-scoring men's basketball game in NCAA history, regardless of division.
Like Murphy, White became an official as a way of staying involved with the sport she played from junior high to college – volleyball.
“It was participating in the sport in a different way and contributing in a different way,” the 1984 Berry alumnae said. “You can absolutely never replace that rush and that thrill of being the athlete in the game. Being an official and being right there on courtside is the next best thing.”
White, known as one of the best high school volleyball officials in the state of Alabama, officiated high school volleyball for 26 years and collegiate volleyball for 12 years before retiring in 2021. White helped mold many volleyball officials while serving as a state instructor for the AHSAA.
White was the founder and first president for the Tri-County Volleyball Officials Association and held numerous administrative positions during her officiating tenure.
White had been an outstanding volleyball player for Brewer State Junior College. She was the starting outside hitter when the team won consecutive state championships and earned a trip to the national tournament in Miami.
