Earl Strom

Earl Strom
Earl Strom Hall of Fame photo
Born	(1927-12-15)December 15, 1927 Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Died	July 10, 1994(1994-07-10) (aged 66) Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
League	National Basketball Association
Years active	1957–1969; 1973–1990
Other positions	ABA referee (1969–1972)
Spouse(s)	Yvonne
Children	Margie, Susan, Stephen, Eric and Jonathan
Parents	Max and Bessie
Basketball Hall of Fame

Earl "Yogi" Strom (December 15, 1927 – July 10, 1994) was an American professional basketball referee for 29 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and for three years in the American Basketball Association (ABA). Strom is credited as one of the greatest referees in the history of the NBA and was known for his flamboyant style and ability to control the game. Nicknamed "The Pied Piper", the assertive Strom made foul calls with his whistle by using a "tweet-pause-tweet-tweet" tune and pointing at the offending player. In addition to calling fouls with flair, he was known for ejecting players from games with style and he sometimes supported his rulings with physical force.

Over the course of his career, he officiated 2,400 professional basketball regular season games, 295 playoff games, 7 All-Star games, and 29 NBA and ABA Finals. For his extensive contributions to the game, Strom was posthumously elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.

Strom was born December 15, 1927 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania to Max and Bessie Strom. Earl's father, Max, was a foreman at a bakery, and Earl grew up in the household as the youngest of seven children comprising five boys and two girls. As a child, he became interested in athletics and competing in sports, and this interest lasted throughout his childhood and into high school. At Pottstown High School, Strom played football, baseball, and basketball. After finishing high school in 1945, he joined the United States Coast Guard towards the end of World War II. Returning from service, Strom attended Pierce Junior College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he graduated in 1951. Following school, the young Strom continued participating in sports and played for a local semi-professional basketball team in his early 20s. During a basketball game, he had an argument with a referee and the referee said "Look, you're not much of a player, and you've got a pretty good mouth on you, so why don't you think about taking up refereeing?" Following the advice of the referee, Strom decided to get into officiating. He officiated high school games for nine years as well as college games in the East Coast Athletic Conference for three years.