By Gary Lloyd
A Trussville resident was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame last month.
Greg England officiated high school basketball for 42 years and worked in 25 Final 48 state tournaments. He now serves as a camp instructor and official observer.
England graduated from Tarrant High School in 1965 and joined the Birmingham Basketball Officials Association in 1971. That organization changed the name of the President’s Award to the Greg England President’s Award in recognition of his accomplishments.
England held office in the BBOA for 32 years, including the president spot for 10 years. He officiated in the Alabama High School Athletic Association region tournament for 10 years and served as assistant director of the tournament for 10 years. In 2000, England was named Alabama Basketball Official of the Year by the National Federation Officials Association. Last year, he received the AHSAA Distinguished Service Award for basketball.
Bobby Stewart, the current BBOA president, wrote a letter supporting England’s nomination to the hall of fame.
“It did not matter who you were, Greg would take time to talk with you, evaluate you and help you get better,” Stewart wrote
. “I have seen Greg arrive early for games to help train the crew that was working several hours before his game. He would stay late after games and talk with officials about how they could improve. I have been with him when his wife called at 1 a.m. to see if he was okay and he was still in the parking lot at the gym discussing basketball with the officials.”
Contact Gary Lloyd at news@trussvilletribune.com and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.