PROFILES

from Referee Magazine - August 2021

LEAN ON ME

Mining for Turquoise as Well as New Officials

By Steven L. Tietz

Robert Otteson loves his family, and he tends to keep busy. He’s a husband, father of six, turquoise miner, jewelry maker, multi-sport official and supervisor out of Tonopah, Nev. His wife, Penny, and his kids (some in-laws too) are also officials and many of them are in the mining business as well.

They’re also reality TV stars on the INSP TV show “Turquoise Fever,” which details the aforementioned three-generation family mining business.

Otteson admits it’s hard to balance things at times, but when you live 215 miles from Las Vegas and 230 miles from Reno, you tend to find ways to entertain yourself.

“In a small town like this (2,500 people), you really need family to help,” he said. “I will drive up to five hours (for assignments) and travel costs are usually much bigger than any fee.”

Otteson got into officiating in 1986 when he was at a basketball game. A legendary area official was working, and his partner couldn’t make it.

“He asked the crowd if anyone else could referee this game with him,” Otteson said. “I had done some men’s league ball, so I said, ‘Yes.’ I really wasn’t sure of myself, but afterward he said, ‘You didn’t do a bad job. Why don’t you join us?’”

Otteson committed despite the fact weekly meetings of the local chapter were held in Las Vegas, a four-hour drive from Tonopah.

“There was a time when some of the guys complained at the meeting about this or that and then the chapter head asked me to stand up and tell everyone how far I had driven to get there,” Otteson said. “I did and everyone shut up after that.”

He started officiating basketball, and football, baseball and softball followed. Otteson balances officiating with his day job as a contractor for the Air Force at a top-secret remote site, as well as the mining operation, which was started by his grandfather in the 1950s.

“We now own about 60 to 70 mines,” he said. “They did that TV show on us a few years ago.” Otteson has also worked as a bus driver and coached various sports; his kids were top prep athletes.

Otteson, 57, averages about 160 games a year while also serving as commissioner for the Central Nevada Officials Association.

He has many pictures of himself happily working games with family members. He has been married to Penny for 35 years and she got into volleyball officiating about five years ago. “She was petrified at first, but she now likes it,” he said.

Otteson spends a lot of time trying to recruit new officials but he wants to stay in the game himself as long as he can, despite having back issues.

“I’m going to keep working through it,” he said. Steven L. Tietz is an award-winning journalist from Milwaukee. 

Robert Otteson has recruited several family members into officiating, including daughter Shanda. A Very Nifty 50

Randy Gwin

Age: 74 Cambridge City, Ind.

Randy Gwin has packed a lot of memories into his 50 years as an official. His postseason football resume includes more than 200 Indiana high school playoff assignments.

Gwin has officiated more than 100 sectional games, eight regional championship games and three semi-state championship games. The highlight of his career to date is the 2014 state championship game. Gwin has also worked more than 150 tournament basketball games.

He’s been around long enough that he’s had the opportunity to work games with his son, Jeff, and grandson, Cameron.

Basketball Lifer

Tony Stigliano

Age: 78 Waco, Texas

Deep in the heart of Texas, Tony Stigliano is a major figure in the officiating world. He had a long career as an NCAA Division I men’s basketball official in the Big 12, Big Ten, Western Athletic and Sun Belt conferences. Among his eight NCAA tournament assignments was the 1991 firstround matchup when Richmond beat Syracuse, the first time a 15-seed upset a second seed.

After his oncourt career, he moved to the administrative side. Stigliano was the first coordinator of women’s basketball officials for the Big 12. He has served as the commissioner of the Heartland Conference since its inception in 1999 and is the commissioner for the NAIA Red River Athletic Conference. Stigliano is responsible for assigning men’s and women’s basketball officials for almost 100 schools. All together, he controls assignments for 600 officials.