Hightower

[40 Cal]

Could some one tell me when has this guy made a good call? or whe has he not tried to infulence the outcome of a game?

 

[sybarite]

When I questioned the officiating over the last two minutes, I should have known Hightower was in the building.

 

[Krugerfan52]

He lives in his own world. He made at least 5 calls in that game that made him look absolutely clueless. He just picks out a player, blows the whistle and points at them. He tries to make the game all about him.

When is somebody going to take care of this? Are they just waiting for him to retire? He doesnt have a clue and he does his best to ruin every game by making himself the show.

 

[BoulderSooner]

he is so horrible it is laughable ... has to be one of the worst in the business

 

[paulsboutique]

There were a couple of times in the game, you could clearly hear Capel saying "Come on, Ed!"...

 

[Hollisp]

Can't stand his demonstrative hand gestures whenever he makes a call. Theres just no need for it. It is always about him and that really bothers me.

 

[campbest]

Can't stand his demonstrative hand gestures whenever he makes a call. Theres just no need for it. It is always about him and that really bothers me.

Can't stand the demonstrative gestures as well, the "carrying" motion is the worse (he did it last night on Jones or Lamb I believe). He is just very old school in his approach to officiating (i.e. getting near the player and pointing directly at them for a moment) which doesn't go over well in today's game. But if you look in many official's guides, that is the original preference even though it is outdated.

As for his retirement, doubt that happens anytime soon. What a lot of fans fail to realize is that, as a contractor, he is requested by coaches and ADs across the nation, he could do a game every night if he wanted. So when fans complain about him (outside of tournaments like Maui) they might as well blame the coach and AD. Personally, I would love to see him go because the game needs a new core of younger officials to step up with the times, however, there is a huge shortage so that is why many of the older guys are being asked to hang around for so long.

 

[mattham4]

I've been cussing Hightower since I was at OU from '85-'89...that dude has been around WAY too long for my taste

 

[SuperHoops]

It's almost like he looks for certain situations so he can make his gimmicky "signature calls", like the stance and point on charges or the wave up when he thinks a defender has flopped.

 

[stevent11]

Out of the 37 fouls called yesterday, Hightower called 23 of them.

 

[brettromar]

"Bird-dogging" or the pointing as you call it, is something refs are trying to get away from.

He does it so that everyone pays attention to him. I hate those types of refs.

 

[Max Power]

i feel that if players are going to get t'd up for their behavior refs should be fined or suspended for being over dramatic also

 

[Tony]

No lie, he is my favorite referee. Don't get me wrong, he is truly horrible, but the entertainment value that accompanies his games because the fanbase of every school hates him so much is unparalelled.

It's funny, from what I understand he is a genuinely great school administrator in his day job.

 

[NickZepp]

How bad do you have to be that every fan base hates you? Name another official that everyone knows about.

 

[Sooner_In_MI]

How bad do you have to be that every fan base hates you? Name another official that everyone knows about.

+1

Hightower sucks. Back up in Michigan, MSU fans can't stand him either, and they have the same Hightower emoticon that we have on their message board. When you're a referee, and you're an emoticon on multiple message boards, take a step back, realize you're supposed to be in the background, make better calls, and don't be so over-the-top when making those calls. God I hate Hightower.

 

[campbest]

+1

Hightower sucks. Back up in Michigan, MSU fans can't stand him either, and they have the same Hightower emoticon that we have on their message board. When you're a referee, and you're an emoticon on multiple message boards, take a step back, realize you're supposed to be in the background, make better calls, and don't be so over-the-top when making those calls. God I hate Hightower.

Haha, every fan base feels the same about Hightower. But I don't understand the hatred toward him to such a degree, blame the ADs and coaches who request him on a nightly basis.

 

[AdaSooner]

Hightower's animated gestures every time he blows his whistle is a feeble attempt to call attention to himself. He doesn't realize, or maybe he doesn't care, that it makes him look like a fool. It also detracts from the game and the players, and that's why I despise his tired, worn out act. But as long as television commentators like Vitale, Musberger and others continue to sing his praises, he is not going to quit.

In truth, I didn't think he did a bad job last night...that is, if you can look past the usual show he puts on. OU was the beneficiary of some of Ed's bad calls, and that in itself was an improvement. lol

 

[Sooner_In_MI]

Haha, every fan base feels the same about Hightower. But I don't understand the hatred toward him to such a degree, blame the ADs and coaches who request him on a nightly basis.

I can honestly say I have no idea why anyone would want him to officiate a game.

 

[oketex]

Other than Ada, how many of you have ever officiated either football or basketball?

I have worked with Ed Hightower on a number of occasion and since I ref college ball for 25 yrs I consider myself somewhat of an expert and Ed Hightower was always a good official and did a good job. T:OU-logo:he few times i worked with Ed I found it to be a pleasure to work with him, that said i have been retired for a number of years and since I haven't worked with him or any other official maybe he should also consider retiring. I didn't see every call yesterday but there were calls at both ends of the court that I would question not just by Ed but all three.

 

[Tony]

Other than Ada, how many of you have ever officiated either football or basketball?

I have worked with Ed Hightower on a number of occasion and since I ref college ball for 25 yrs I consider myself somewhat of an expert and Ed Hightower was always a good official and did a good job. T:OU-logo:he few times i worked with Ed I found it to be a pleasure to work with him, that said i have been retired for a number of years and since I haven't worked with him or any other official maybe he should also consider retiring. I didn't see every call yesterday but there were calls at both ends of the court that I would question not just by Ed but all three.

Unless you count nerf basketball when I was seven years old, I have never refereed anything in my life. It is a fair point. Thanks for the perspective.