Krispinsky makes the call: He’s retiring

January 9, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

Ex-Howland Schools

treasurer Krispinsky

ends Big Ten career

It was The Vindicator’s late sports editor Chuck Perazich who was credited with coining the phrase “There’s a Youngtown connection everywhere.”

Never was that more true and on display this bowl season than Jan. 2 at the Sugar Bowl, where Cardinal Mooney graduates and brothers Bob (head coach) and Mike Stoops (assistant head coach and defensive coordinator) guided the Oklahoma Sooners over the Auburn Tigers in a battle of college football giants.

In the background, however, serving as an alternate on the Big Ten Conference officiating crew was Youngtown native and YSU alum Tom Krispinsky, who was taking part in his last game as a college football official.

“At 64 years of age and over 40 years in the game, it’s just the right time for me to step aside call it a career,” Krispinsky said. “I’ve had a great run and have considered myself the luckiest guy in the world each and every Saturday during football season. It has been so exciting over the years to be able to watch the greatest players on display each week on college football’s national stage.

“I’ve gotten to witness the top coaches execute their game plans, have worked side by side with fellow officials considered some of the very best at their avocation and met others, both in and out of the athletics arena that I would never have crossed paths with had it not been for my time as an official.”

To think that it all got started for Krispinsky, a retired Howland Local Schools treasurer, on the YSU campus as a member of Theta Chi fraternity.

“I was a clock operator and scorekeeper for our intramural department and making $5 a game. My fraternity brother, Bill Holman, was part of our local football officials’ organization and YSU would use the organization to referee games at $15 per game,” Krispinsky said. “Bill needed a replacement for one of his games, asked if I would fill in for him and I can tell you back then that $15 was better than the $5 I was making, which was a lot of money back then for barely an hour of work.

“Two of the very best decisions that I ever made in life was learning how to do spreadsheets, which I used daily as a school treasurer and joining my fraternity, which helped to expand my horizons and networking opportunities.”

In 1975, Krispinsky took the officials test, becoming a member of the local officiating group — the Youngstown Football Officials Association — that same year. He worked his first game high school game in 1978 and on the scholastic level, is credited with four Cardinal Mooney-Ursuline rivalry games, two Boardman-Austintown Fitch battles and two high-profile Canton McKinley-Massillon contests.

He also worked the 1989 Division III state championship game between Ironton and Campbell Memorial.

“Looking out for me throughout my high school career was Fred Vicarel and I cannot thank him enough for the guidance that he gave and the confidence that he instilled in me during my high school officiating career,” Krispinsky said. “It was our local organization that helped prepare me for the next step in my career.”

Krispinsky moved up to the Division III ranks in 1991, working his first college at Kenyon College and in 1995, joined another local official, Jim Visingardi, in the Mid-American Conference. He worked in the MAC until 2001.

In 2002, Krispinsky became a member of the Big Ten Conference officiating staff. His assignments over the past 15 years have included a bevy of high-profile, nationally televised games.

Along with Visingardi in the MAC, Krispinsky was also joined by Julius Livas and Rob Luklan — currently an Atlantic Coast Conference official — as officials with whom he worked in both the Big Ten and Mid-American Conference.

“In addition to Fred, all four of us had great mentors during our college careers including Dr. Larry Glass, Bob Walker and Dick Creed,” Krispinsky said. “They were always available and willing to take time out of their busy schedules to work with us on the many rules changes that were implemented over the years. All of us were fortunate to have had such great mentors, guys in the business who cared enough to make sure that we succeeded when we hit the field.”

Throughout his career, Krispinsky has worked as a back judge and head linesman but in the Big Ten, has called the game from his familiar line judge slot.

As a Sugar Bowl alternate, however, Krispinsky had to be ready and prepared for all positions in the event that he was summoned to the field.