About Joey Crawford:

Date of Birth: August 30, 1951; Family: Married to Mary for 30 years — Kids, Amy (26), Megan (24), and Erin (20); Education: Cardinal O'Hara High School; Officiating Highlight: Worked in the NBA Finals since 1986; Other Information: Helps run The Comets, a high level basketball girls AAU basketball program — two of his teams have already qualified for the Nationals. Advice to Officials: Just work as hard as you can and don't worry about somebody else moving ahead; just work every game like it's your last.

Officiating.com: How did you get started in officiating?

Crawford: This is my 24th year in the pros. I started [calling basketball] when I was 18. My dad was a Major League Baseball umpire. I knew when I was thirteen- years-old that I wanted to be an NBA referee. When I was a kid, my dad would take me to NBA games, and he would point out Mendy Rudolph [successful NBA official]. When I went to these games, I spent the whole game watching the referees.

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