Beloved referee who officiated youth sports for 30 years dies on court during basketball game

INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) – The youth sports community in central Indiana is mourning the loss of a beloved referee who died during a high school basketball game.

Witnesses said Jeff Tamarri collapsed on the court after a medical emergency Friday night.

Nicknamed Jeff the Ref, the 63-year-old Tamarri officiated thousands of youth sporting events over more than 30 years.

From the basketball court to the football field, officiating youth sports wasn’t just a job for Tamarri. It was a calling.

“We all love it, but of the people that I know that really love it, Jeff is certainly at the top of that list. He was always out there for the right reasons,” fellow referee Kevin Brown said.

That’s why Tamarri’s sudden death Friday night on the basketball court is so tough.

“He truly died doing what I know he loved,” Brown added.

Jeff the Ref, as the kids called him, connected with thousands of young athletes over three decades in central Indiana. He became an example of integrity, heart and love of the game.

“He had a calming presence, and I always said officials need to lower the temperature in the room,” Brown described. “Some people are really gifted at it. He was really gifted at it.”

Tamarri died just shy of his 64th birthday. He collapsed during a girls’ basketball game at Monrovia High School.

“It was a simple offensive rebound right in the middle of the second quarter, and he turned around to get position on it, and best I can tell, he had some sort of cardiac event,” Brown described.

The medical emergency prompted a massive response at Monrovia High School. The Monroe-Gregg School District superintendent said people in the crowd with medical training, staff and paramedics all tried to save Tamarri’s life. The gym was even cleared so witnesses and responders could work on him.

“I have no doubt in my mind that they did all they could,” Brown said. “Unfortunately, I just don’t think there was much to be done.”

Now, those who knew Tamarri best are honoring his legacy, his big smile, care for kids and his impact on coaches, crowds and colleagues. Those connected with Tamarri said games in Indiana just won’t be the same without Jeff the Ref.

“We’d see a lot of faces, same faces, different sports, so from Grand Park to the youth leagues in Danville and Zionsville is where we worked a lot in the last few years,” Terry Taylor, who refereed with Tamarri, said. “Yeah, there was a lot of upset kids Saturday when they found out.”

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