Welmer was a standout player at the University of Evansville where he played for the legendary Arad McCutcheon, then went on to become a basketball referee. He was a good one, working in the Big Ten for years, before retiring to Florida. That’s where I caught up with him on the telephone for the first show of 2011.

He had a sense of humor about his job, and kept the game in perspective. A player once told me Welmer had made a bad call in his favor in a one-sided nonconference game, and said, “That’s one for the Big Ten,” as he handed him the ball to inbound. Welmer knew the game from a player’s standpoint, too, and that helped him referee. His imposing size probably didn’t hurt his cause, either.

Referees tend to be colorful guys and always have stories. Welmer is no exception.

First aired 2011

---

Tagged with: basketball referee, Steve Welmer, University of Evansville basketball