Courtesy of ABC 12 - CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO
SAGINAW (WJRT)
-(02/19/15) - You would
typically see him off to the side the court, blowing his whistle
and calling the shots.
Jerry Sauder is no stranger to refereeing. He's been doing
it for nearly 50 years.
"It all started out in high school. I went to a basketball
game one time and a guy tapped me on the shoulder. And the rest is
history, as they say," Sauder said.
Since that moment, he's experienced every portion of college
basketball - from his years at SVSU, to March
Madness.
"My greatest memory is my NCAA tournament that I went to in
2001. Kentucky and Holy Cross. It was a life changing experience,"
Sauder said.
He says his greatest experience is mentoring those along the
way, like twin brothers Bret and Bart Wegneke.
"I've known Jerry for almost 30 years now. He's one of my
dearest, most loyal friends," Bart said.
Bart says what they'll miss the most is caring attitude and
sense of judgement.
"He's like a security blanket. There's not too many guys out
there who, you know, is going to go out there and take care of
business," Bart said.
As the end of the fourth quarter gets closer, both men know
it's going to be hard to say goodbye.
"You can't do something for that long and not...so I'm
emotional now. So you just hope you make a difference along the
way," Sauder said.
As far as why he's retiring, Sauder just felt it was time to
hang up his whistle. His close friends and family were also in the
stands to watch him referee his last game.
