| Overall UK Wins: 5 | Overall UK Losses: 0 | Win % 100 |
Date of Birth: June 13, 1918
Date of Death: March 23, 1991
Hometown: Louisville, KY
For a generalized listing of officials, please consult this page.
| Date | Matchup | W/L | Score | UK Fouls | Opp Fouls | UK FTA | Opp FTA | UK DQ | Opp DQ | Technicals | Officiating Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/1/1958 | Florida State at Kentucky | W | 91 - 68 | 23 | 21 | 28 | 34 | 0 | 2 | - | Max Macon and Ben Edelen |
| 1/3/1959 | Georgia Tech at Kentucky | W | 72 - 62 | 18 | 17 | 26 | 26 | 0 | 1 | Whack Hyder for arguing calls [Called by Max Macon] | Ben Edelen and Max Macon |
| 1/26/1959 | Kentucky at Georgia Tech | W | 94 - 70 | 20 | 21 | 29 | 27 | 0 | 2 | - | Max Macon and Ben Edelen |
| 12/1/1959 | Colorado St Teachers at Kentucky | W | 106 - 73 | 20 | 23 | 33 | 30 | 0 | 1 | - | George Conley and Ben Edelen |
| 12/22/1959 | Kentucky vs. Temple | W | 97 - 92 | 29 | 26 | 36 | 41 | 3 | 3 | - | John McPherson and Ben Edelen |
| Average of Totals: (Of Known Stats) | 22 | 21.6 | 30.4 | 31.6 | 0.6 | 1..8 | |||||
Obituary - Louisville Courier-Journal (March 25, 1991)
Ex-Basketball Official Ben Edelen Sr. Dies
from Staff and Special Dispatches
Ben R. Edelen Sr. of Louisville, a well-known basketball referee who officiated at games for 26 years,died Saturday of emphysema at Human Hospital-Suburban. He was 72.
Edelen worked high school and college basketball games from 1937 to 1963.
At his retirement, Edelen recounted that one of the proudest memories of his refereeing career was being chosen to work the high-pressure series between Eastern Kentucky and Western Kentucky universities for eight straight years.
"I worked both at Richmond and at Bowling Green, and with a different official in all of the 16 games," he said.
His strategy for defusing tension over calls during games was to hand out colorful miniature whistles to fans, coaches and other.
During his career, Edelen was affiliated with the Southeastern, Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, Mid-American and Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic conferences.
He was also a registered football official with the Ohio Valley, Southeastern and Missouri Valley conferences.
He was former president of both the Louisville and Falls Cities basketball officials associations and the Metropolitan Football Officials Association. He was co-founder and the first president of the Louisville Quarterback Club and was a former director of the Kentucky State Golf Association.
Edelen, a native of Bardstown, owned and operated Ben R. Edelen & Sons Tax and Bookkeeping Service and was a former employee of the Internal Revenue Service.
He was an Army air Corps veteran of World War II and a member of Knights of Columbus and Woodhaven Country Club.
His survivors include his wife, the former Mary Gudgel; two sons, Ben R. Jr. and Thomas G. Edelen; three daughters, Linda Judd, Debbie Gruner and Dottie Mills; two brothers, William B. Edelen of Jacksonville, Fla., and Joseph R. Edelen; 11 grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Martha Catholic Church, 2825 Klondike Lane, with entombment in Resthaven Memorial Park Mausoleum.
Visitation will be at Highlands Funeral Home, 3331 Taylorsville Road, from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. today and tomorrow.
The family requests that memorial gifts take the form of contributions to Mass of the Air.
