Richie Powers
| Richie Powers | |
|---|---|
Powers officiating the 1976 NBA Finals
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| Born | October 14, 1930 |
| Died | July 31, 1998 (aged 67) Allentown, Pennsylvania |
| Cause of death | stroke |
| Nationality |
 United States
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| Occupation | NBA referee (1956–1979) |
| Spouse(s) | Virginia; a second marriage ended in 1987 |
Richard F. "Richie" Powers (October 14, 1930 – July 31, 1998) was a professional basketball referee in the NBA from 1956 to 1979. He worked 25 NBA Finals games, including the triple-overtime Game 5 contest in the 1976 NBA Finals between the Suns and the Celtics, considered "The Greatest Game Ever Played" as well as three All-Star Games. Following his career in the NBA, Powers was a sportscaster for WABC-TV.
Powers attended St. John's University and played baseball under Frank McGuire. Before joining the NBA, Powers worked as a minor league baseball umpire, reaching the Eastern League.
Powers officiated the triple-overtime Game 5 of the 1976 NBA Finals, which was notable for controversial moments involving Powers. With the score tied at 95 with three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Boston stole a Suns inbound pass and the Celtics' Paul Silas attempted to call a time-out by giving the "T" sign to Powers. Boston had no timeouts remaining, which if recognized, would have resulted in a technical foul and a free throw awarded to Phoenix. However, Powers did not acknowledge Silas's request for the time-out as time expired.Mendy Rudolph and Rick Barry, color commentators for the CBS Sports telecast, were quick to note that Silas was signaling for a timeout, but Powers ignored the request. Boston went on to win the game in the third overtime period. According to the Suns organization, Powers later told a Phoenix golf professional that he didn't want to see the championship decided on a technicality. Angered over the incident, Al Bianchi, then-assistant coach of the Suns, ordered a ring in which the words "Fuck You, Richie Powers" were inscribed.
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