https://www.myjournalcourier.com/sports/article/Wright-makes-Hall-of-Fame-12590832.php
Wright makes Hall of Fame
Dennis Mathes, dmathes@myjournalcourier.com
Published 4:15 pm CST, Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Being held in high esteem by one's colleagues is on the list of requirements for officials to be selected for induction into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
So it's a little surprising that Barry Wright isn't already in. But it won't be long now. Wright recently received a letter from the IBCA saying that he had been selected for induction into their Hall of Fame.
"It was real nice," he said. "Put in 38 years of hard work, a lot of travel — and to get that letter was real nice."
It would be difficult to name a more well-liked referee in west central Illinois than Barry Wright. There are many good referees here, and the area is lucky to have them. But Wright's gentle manner and friendliness set him apart. During timeouts, you can usually spot him standing near the bleachers, talking or joking with fans. He knows almost everybody, and almost everybody knows him. When fans disagree with one of his calls, you'll often hear a shout, "Come on, Barry!" He's become something of an institution, and an integral part of the fabric and character of sports here.
Wright never takes himself too seriously — a rare quality these days. He uses his own name to poke fun at himself.
"It's Barely Wright, Seldom Wright, Hardly Ever Wright, Never Wright," he said. "If you can't have a little fun doing it, why do it? And I've been having a lot of fun for 38 years. Why stop now?"
It all started in 1980. That's when Wright began officiating.
"I'm one of the few officials who have been assigned to five different categories — boys' basketball, baseball, girls' softball, girls' basketball and football," Wright said. "That's an honor right there in itself, being assigned to five different categories. But you've still got to work at it, no matter what. I've been in it for 38 years, but you've got to prove yourself over and over again. You've got to go out and do the job they ask you to do. And I've just been very fortunate."
When he was in high school, Wright participated in cross country and track and field — ironically, two sports where officials' calls are rarely an issue. He still holds six track records at Greenfield that have stood for more than 45 years. "I've met a lot of nice people running track and officiating, too," Wright said. "It's a real wonderful journey I've been going through right now. No complaints. I've had wonderful people to officiate with, and nice people. You can't ask anything more better than that."
Wright said he got into officiating because it was a way for him to give back.
"Well, since I didn't get into coaching, I thought, if nothing else, just give something back what gave to you, and do it," he said. "And ever since, I just kept right on going."
Wright has called some big games. He has officiated at the girls' basketball state tournament three times, working the Class 2A state championship game in 2009.
"I hope I get to state in baseball before I give it up," he said. "I've gone to state in girls' softball as well and worked up there the last two years at Mineral Springs at Pekin. That was a wonderful experience there, too."
Wright will enter the Hall with Carrollton's Liz (DeShasier) Bray, Stosha (DeShasier) Flowers and Alicia (DeShasier) McConnell, along with Amber (Shelton) Allan, who helped Carrollton win back-to-back girls' basketball championships before transferring to Edwardsville.
Wright said one of the most memorable contests he ever officiated was a girls' softball game between Carrollton and Pleasant Plains that involved one of the DeShasier sisters. "It went 19 innings in the championship game of the sectional in 1998 in Beardstown when Liz DeShasier, who's going into the Hall of Fame, pitched all 19 innings," Wright said. "Both teams scored one run in the first and didn't score again until the 19th. So it wasn't boring. It was a good, hard-fought, fundamentally sound ballgame. And that's the way we like it."
Wright said since he started, fans have changed, and officiating has become tougher than it used to be. Criticism has become more personal. But that doesn't keep Wright from joking with fans, and players, too, when the time is right.
"If it's a lighter moment of the game, you can do that," Wright said. "But when it's a serious time, and you get down to crunch time, you have to take care of business. Fans, they're always rabid. They always think they can play, coach and officiate all at the same time. And I always tell them, well, get your license and get out here. They don't say much after that."
Wright freely admits to getting calls wrong; all officials get it wrong sometimes.
"Well, there's some calls you'd like to have back, but you've just got to grit your teeth and move on," Wright said. "Just like a player missing a layup in the last second of the game that could have won the ballgame, or a fumble in football that's critical, too. We're all human beings. We're not robots. We don't get out the oil can like the Tin Can Man in the Wizard of Oz. We're human beings just like anybody else, and we're going to make a mistake once in awhile. That's going to happen. You just have to grit your teeth and move on."
How much longer will Wright continue to officiate? He's not sure.
"I don't have too many more years left," he said. "I don't know how many more years I've got left in me. I'm diabetic. I hope I get my 40th year. That'd be a nice accomplishment, too.
"I'm still having a lot of fun. Still enjoying it," Wright said. "It's good exercise. It's just a lot of fun."
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