Joseph J. Gushue was a highly respected referee in the
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...
and the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA).
[Pluto, Terry, ''Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association'', New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990, , p.131-133] He refereed in All Star Games, the ABA finals, NBA finals series, in addition to over 20 years of regular season work. He was one of four lead NBA referees who left the NBA to join the ABA, which resulted in dramatically increased salaries for referees, rejoining the NBA when the leagues merged.
Early life
Gushue was born in
Port Richmond, Philadelphia and attended
Northeast Catholic High School
Northeast Catholic High School opened in 1926 as Northeast Catholic High School for Boys, and was located at 1842 East Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was under the administration of the high school system of the Roman Catho ...
.
Career
Gushue worked as a carpenter and refereed community games before for being spotted by
Sid Borgia, who saw him refereeing a summer league game while on vacation in
Wildwood, New Jersey.
He was invited to try out for the NBA in 1961. There was one opening left, and Gushue won it over future Los Angeles Dodgers' manager
Tommy Lasorda.
He was one of the many NBA referees coming out of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, whether by actual birth or later training in Philadelphia, sharing the common trait of officiating a game in a way that they controlled the game, and the game did not control them. Gushue would become a mentor to Philadelphia born referee
Jake O'Donnell, who would become a mentor to suburban Philadelphia born referee
Joey Crawford (O'Donnell knowing Crawford's father
Shag
Shag or Shags may refer to:
Animals
* Shag or cormorant, a bird family
** European shag, a specific species of the shag or cormorant family
** Great cormorant another species of the family
Persons
* Shag (artist), stage name of the American a ...
as they both were major league baseball umpires).
Crawford explained that they did not seek praise from players or coaches for doing a good job, "'but I wanted Joe Gushue to say, Joe you're a really good ref.'"
In the 1968-1969 season, he often partnered with Ken Hudson, the only African American referee in the NBA. Gushue, along with
Norm Drucker
Norm Drucker (July 4, 1920 – February 6, 2015) was a major influence in professional basketball officiating for over 35 years. His NBA and ABA officiating career as both a referee and Supervisor of Officials spanned the careers of all-time pro ...
and
John Vanak, mentored Hudson, and were both helpful and protective.
In 1969, when the upstart American Basketball Association was raiding the NBA for talent, Gushue, along with three other top NBA "lead" referees—John Vanak,
Earl Strom, and Norm Drucker—jumped to the ABA with multi-year contracts paying much higher salaries than NBA officials received.
As a result, professional officiating salaries dramatically increased.
Gushue officiated in the
1965 NBA All-Star Game,
1969 NBA All-Star Game,
1971 ABA All-Star Game,
1977 NBA Finals
The 1977 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 1976–77 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Western Conference champion Portland Trail Blazers played aga ...
, the
1978 NBA Finals,
1979 NBA Finals,
1980 NBA All-Star Game and
1980 NBA Finals. In the 1978 NBA finals between the
Seattle Supersonics and
Washington Bullets
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...
, six "Philadelphia" referees were slotted for the series (Gushue, O'Donnell,
Jack Madden,
Eddie Rush,
Earl Strom, and John Vanak).
He refereed game 7 of the ABA finals with John Vanak, between the
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were an American professional basketball team based in Louisville, Kentucky. They competed in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1967 to 1976. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky Colonels. The Colo ...
and
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
, where a hobbled
Gus Johnson entered the game after Indiana center
Mel Daniels
Melvin Joe Daniels (July 20, 1944 – October 30, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Minnesota Muskies, Indiana Pacers, and Memphis Sounds, and in the National Bas ...
got in foul trouble, and led Indiana to the win. He also refereed the final game of the 1980 NBA finals between the
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
and
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...
.
Gushue was dismissed by the NBA after the 1982 season (along with Bob Rakel and
Jesse Kersey) on the basis knee surgery made him physically unable to perform. He had missed the 1982 season.
When the referees settled a 1983 labor dispute with the league in December 1983, after a 100-day
lockout by the league, the agreement specifically provided Gushue be allowed to work until January 14, 1984, after which a panel of five would review his case.
Later life
Gushue returned for the 1984 season, but needed more surgery. He retired from refereeing after the 1984 season and returned to his former profession as a union carpenter from UBC Local 1856, working until two years before his death.
Death
He died of heart failure on November 12, 1996, aged 64, after having battled colon cancer for a year.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gushue, Joe
American Basketball Association referees
NBA referees
1996 deaths
Year of birth missing