In Praise of Gino D'ippolito
SocRef. So we're stuck with my limited memory of what I've seen of him on the pitch, which is totally inadequate for what I'd ilke to do.
When I was a boy in the 1980s, Gino D'ippolito was not my friend. I didn't know he was a FIFA referee, I didn't know he refed Pele's final professional game. I didn't know he's been reffing from god knows when. I just knew he was commonly reffing the MISL games I watched, and that refs sucked. I would yell at him, heckle him, despise him. I remembered his name just as well as any of the players on that team that I followed so closely; I probably remember him better now than many of those players. My brother, my father and I would all cry out in anguish when we heard the game Gino D'ippolito mentioned during introductions.
About a year before I started reffing myself, I visited my parents in Houston, when they still had their own professional indoor team, and there he was, and it all came flooding back. "Gino D'ippolito, I haven't seen you in fifteen years, and I can't wait to go after you again!" My father was a little more philosophical: "He's lost a few steps, but he's right there when there's a problem, and doesn't take shit from anybody." And that was exactly what we saw; fifteen years after I had last seen him, he was still doing top-flight indoor soccer, and he clearly didnt take crap from the players, but it was also clear that the players respected him; this man had been reffing at a professional and international level for longer than most had been alive.
Soon after I decided to referee myself, my parents decided to have some fun with me, and asked Gino to autograph a program and sent it to me. I didn't think much of it (except for being sheepish), but it's far more important to me now. I've thought back to those MISL games of the 80s, and more recently that single game I saw 15 years later, and the accomplishment of Gino really left a mark. Things change when you referee - you see things totally differently, and once I realized that this ref thing was more than a lark for me, and that I really enjoyed it, I thought about Gino; I thought about the crap I took at games, and I thought about Gino. The man I jeered at became an inspiration.
I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to meet him; there's professional soccer anywhere near me, let alone being lucky enough to have him do one of those games (if he does anymore). But maybe someone who does know him, will have the chance to read this little missive, and be able to pass this along from me.
To Mr. Gino D'ippolito,
I recall seeing you referee many times in the 1980s in the original Major Indoor Soccer League. At the time I was little more than an average fan, cheering my team, and jeering the opponents, which included the referees. As I grew up, and moved around, I remained a soccer fan, and on a family visit, saw you referee indoor again at a Houston Hotshots game some 15 years after I had saw you last. Although it was temped to jeer you again, I was far more impressed with your ability to keep doing what you loved (and with all the turmoil with American soccer, you had to love it), and do it well. Seeing you officiate again was probably that little bit of a push I needed to follow-through on actually starting to referee myself; three years later, I love to ref this game. I want to thank you for being an inspriation, and the person I look up to more than anyone else, as I referee myself.
I hope that hip holds up; I can't tell you what a thrill it would be to be able to shake your hand at some point.
Best regards,
[he gets to know my name - the rest of you, shush]
I was one of the full-time MISL refs with Gino and others (Herb Silva, Marty Templin, Toros Kibritjian, etc.) during the heydays of the MISL. Gino lives in Yonkers, NY and has finally retired from soccer. I have many fond memories of traveling with and officiating professional games with Gino and I’m sure he’d like to hear from you.
Jeff Mantel
Florham Park, NJ
Jeff Mantel () - 26 December '04 - 22:49
I know Gino very well, still referee with him. I can put you in contact with him. He loves talking about the “golden days”. Your buddy, Marc S.Marc A.Silverstein, ENY () - 24 June '05 - 14:15
I was with Gino last weekend…he’s as good on the pitch as he ever was…again, let me know if you want to contact him.Marc Silverstein () - 23 April '10 - 07:52