Shadoff misses officiating, but he’s settling into job as Tech AD

LYNN – It’s easy to see that basketball is one of the loves of Ed Shadoff’s life. After all, he was a referee for 32 years and officiated in 23 state finals in one form or another.See him at Lynn Tech’s basketball games, in his capacity as athletic director (he’s just completed his first full year on the job) and you can tell he’s in his element. He bounds up and down the floor, accommodating media, hobnobbing with coaches, and refs with whom he worked over the years. You can tell he’s exactly where he wants to be.But make no mistake. It’s tough to give up something you done – and done well – for 32 years without having some kind of an emotional pull.”It was an integral part of my life,” he said. “If you’re not an athlete, or around athletics ? you perhaps don’t understand.”It would be easier if I hurt my leg and I couldn’t go anymore,” he said. “It would probably be a lot easier to give it up that way. But the last game I ever did was the Division 1 state final (in March of 2005) at the DCU Center in Worcester. I didn’t know it was my last game at the time, obviously. But the three of us who had that game rated 1-2-3. When I walked off the court that day, and had my shower, and went out to eat with my wife, I didn’t know it was my last game.”He was all set to referee a full slate of games (50 at the outset of the 2006-07 season) when Tech director Brian Coughlin approached him about taking over Dave Johnson, who had just retired.”It was right after Thanksgiving,” Shadoff said. “I had to think about it. You put your blood, sweat and tears into this. It may not have been my job (he’s a teacher at Tech), but it was my avocation. I loved it as much as I loved my job.”He was also nervous that the three assigners who’d given him so many games would be angry if he came to them a week before the season was to start and gave those games back.”But all three told me that I needed to take the job and give the games back,” he said. “That really helped me with the decision.”So, Shadoff got through his first winter of referee withdrawal. The demands of the job helped. The position, he says, is 75 percent organization and clerical – something that suits his talents nicely.”I’m a very organized person,” he says.But Shadoff wouldn’t be Shadoff without putting on the referee uniform somewhere. In this case, it was to referee the intramural finals at Duke University’s Cameron Indoor Stadium, one of the handful of college basketball Meccas in the United States.It happened because his son, Andrew, now a law student at Duke, supervises the intramural program down there.He’s also a referee. The university flew Shadoff down to join his son, and another official, to referee the semifinals and finals of the intramural tournament.”This was real basketball, even if these kids were Division 1 college athletes,” Shadoff said.”Every one of them could probably be starting for schools like Salem State.”One of the teams participating was the football team,” Shadoff said. “So these are still Division 1 athletes, they’re well built, they’re used to competing, and they don’t want to lose.”Shadoff had never seen his son work before, and he was impressed.”He, at 22, is farther along than I was at the same age,” Shadoff said.Shadoff says he has no regrets about taking the AD job.”It was a new challenge, and it came at a time in my life when I needed a new challenge,” he said. “The job has re-energized me.”Still, he reflects back on his days as the “energizer bunny” of high school referees fondly. By his estimation (he actually sat down and counted it out), he’s refereed in 177 gymnasiums in Massachusetts.”My wife says she doesn’t know what’s sicker ? the fact that I counted it out, or the fact that I actually did it.”For the next three Marches, he’ll get to put on the uniform and referee with Andrew. Beyond that, though, he is very happy where he is.”All of the Lynn ADs, (Gary Molea at English, Classical’s Bill Devin and St. Mary’s Jeff Newhall) work well on behalf