| Overall UK Wins: 1 | Overall UK Losses: 0 | Win % 100 |
Date of Birth: May 14, 1931
Date of Death: October 10, 2003
Hometown: Western Springs, IL
Alma Mater: Northwestern
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/27/1976 | Wisconsin at Kentucky | W | 72 - 64 | 34 | 33 | 39 | 36 | 1 | 4 | - | Bill Bennett and Bob Burson |
Obituary - Chicago Tribune (October 14, 2003)
High School Coach, College Referee
by Patricia Trebe
For years, Robert C. Burson was a coach with Lyons Township High School and wouldn't hesitate to argue with referees and officials over calls, his family said. Then one day he tired of the fight and decided to join them.
Mr. Burson began his basketball referee career in church and YMCA leagues but worked his way up to Big Ten basketball, eventually officiating at the Sweet Sixteen games for the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Mr. Burson, 72, formerly of Western Springs, a physical education teacher and Lyons Township High School coach from 1956 to 1990, died Friday, Oct. 10, in his Indian Head Park home of heart failure.
As a referee in the 1970s, Mr. Burson traveled the state officiating a sophomore and varsity basketball games. For three years, he worked the Illinois High School Association state championships, said his wife Sally.
He was called to work for the Big Ten and he stayed for 11 years.
Hip and knee injuries prevented him from continuing on the floor, but he stayed on as a referee supervisor for another three years.
"He loved refereeing, and he probably would have done it for nothing. He worked lots of nationally televised college games and had plenty of stories to tell," his wife said.
Born in Indianapolis, Mr. Burson was raised in Lakewood, Ohio, where he was a star football player in high school. He attended Northwestern University on a football scholarship and graduated with a bachelor's in science and a maser's in physical education.
After graduation in 1954, he married Sally, his high school sweetheart from Lakewood; who also was a graduate of Northwestern. The couple lived in Evanston while Mr. Burson served in the Navy for two years at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.
Two years later he was hired as a PE teacher and assistant varsity football coach at Lyons Township High School. He then became the head sophomore football and baseball coach. During his tenure at the school, he also coached his three sons. The family lived in La Grange from 1956 until 1970, then moved to Western Springs in 1971 and lived there until five years ago when the Bursons settled in Indian Head Park.
To make extra money for his family, Mr. Burson drove one of the school's buses in the morning. During the summer he was head of the LaGrange Parks and Recreation Department's summer recreation program. He also coached summer league and American Legion baseball teams.
"He just wanted kids to participate to stay out of bad situations. He was very outgoing and very energetic. It wasn't unusual for him to have two, three or four jobs at one time," said his son Scott.
Brian Kopecky, a fellow coach at Lyons Township, said Mr. Burson taught him to remember that the kids always come first.
"He would make it fun for the kids. You always want to win, but he always stressed that in the back of your mind you have to remember that these were high school kids . . . All the kids loved him. He was tough but fair." Kopecky said.
Mr. Burson was a member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches and Officials Hall of Fame.
In addition to his wife and son, he is survived by another son, Curt; a daughter; Cheryl Lehmann; and six grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the First Congregational Church of Western Springs, 1106 Chestnut St., Western Springs.
