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Southern Oregon football ref Campbell chosen best in state By Don Hunt One of the reasons John Campbell is regarded as a top-notch football and basketball official in the Rogue Valley is his cool, calm demeanor. And unlike some officials, you could fit Campbell's ego into a thimble with plenty of room to spare. And so it was no surprise that Campbell kept some big news about himself to himself last week. The 48-year-old Eagle Point resident was named the state's high school football official of the year for 2001. Word leaked out thanks to a colleague. "I can't think of anyone more deserving," says Vern Loy, who has officiated with Campbell for 22 years. "He's very competent at what he does, but I think it's his personality and level head that really set him apart." Campbell was nominated for the award by Dick Chiponis, who recently retired from his post as Rogue Valley Football Officials Association commissioner. The award is sanctioned by the National Federation Officials Association and is meted out in all 50 states each year. Campbell is believed to be the first official from Southern Oregon to earn the accolade. "It's great to be honored like this, but I do believe it's reflective of our entire association," Campbell says in his typically modest fashion. "This is something I will never forget." Campbell grew up in Miami, Fla., where his father was stationed in the Army during the late 1960s and 1970s. He began officiating basketball with the county parks and recreation department there at age 20 and, when he went off to college at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, he took a sports officiating class to sharpen his skills. He moved to the Rogue Valley in 1978 and has had a whistle in his mouth ever since. Campell's main job is at Kodak - formerly 3M - in White City. "I like to think I've been pretty steady all the way through," says Campbell, who also umpired baseball for his first dozen years in the area. "I have good days and not-so-good days just like everyone does, but I've been as prepared as I can be with the idea that I can always get better." Campbell's greatest moment as an official came in December of 1995 when he worked the Class 4A state championship football game between Marshfield and Glencoe. Glencoe scored the winning touchdown on a reverse late in the game, and Campbell has a photo of the play, with him standing near the goal line. "I was in good position - pretty much perfect," he says. "That game and that play is probably the defining moment of my career to this point." Campbell has also worked a Class 4A girls state championship basketball game and a couple of state title hoop games at the 3A level. He says basketball is by far the toughest sport to officiate. "The close proximity of the fans makes it a tough job in itself," Campbell says, "and there are so many things that happen so quickly on the court. You've really got to be on your toes." Campbell was his characteristic unruffled self during a recent game between two out-of-town teams at a holiday tournament at South Medford High. The coaches of each team yelled at Campbell and his officiating partner throughout the contest, and one of the coaches shrieked at Campbell shortly after the halftime buzzer sounded. Campbell turned a deaf ear to the stocky, loudmouthed man and walked the other direction. "He gets a 'T' if he curses at me," Campbell said after the game. "But he didn't. He just needed to blow off some steam." Campbell, who has been married for 28 years and has three grown sons, doesn't plan on retiring any time soon. "As long as I can get up and down the field and the court, I'll be out there," he says. BILL FETTY DOESN'T profess to be a softball genius, but a love of the game and an eagerness to learn should suffice as the Medford truck brokerage owner enters the head coaching profession. Fetty, 39, was named the St. Mary's High head softball coach last week. For the past three years, Fetty served as a volunteer assistant coach to Robin Snider. Prior to that, he was an assistant at the ASA level. "I've been around the game enough to know what's going on," says Fetty, a 1981 graduate of Medford High. "The first objective is to get as many kids out as possible." St. Mary's captured the District 6 title last season, winning 17 of 24 games and advancing to the Class 2A state playoffs. But the Crusaders lose a pair of first-team, all-state players in pitcher Lani Brophy and catcher Shawna Jackson. "We've got some rebuilding to do," Fetty says. "But we've got some good kids back." One of them is Fetty's daughter, Sarah, a senior pitcher. A COUPLE OF RULE changes in high school football were adopted by the National Federation of State High School Associations at a meeting in San Diego earlier this month. One of them makes a distinction between clipping and blocking in the back. Clipping, defined as blocking an opponent from behind and at or below the waist, will continue to carry a 15-year penalty. However, blocking in the back, defined as blocking an opponent in the back above the waist and inside the shoulders, will now carry only a 10-yard infraction. Another rule change allows a team to accept a penalty on a kickoff following a successful two-point conversion. In the past, the offending team went unpunished. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.