Bernie Fryer

infobox NBA Player


caption = Bernie Fryer ("right") talking with Raja Bell of the Phoenix Suns.
nickname =
position = Guard
height_ft = 6
height_in = 3
weight_lbs = 185
nationality = USA
birth_date = birth date and age|1949|12|25
birth_place = Bellingham, Washington
college = BYU
draft = 7th round
draft_year = 1972
draft_team = Phoenix Suns
career_start = 1973
career_end = 1975
former_teams = Portland Trail Blazers
(1973–1974) (NBA)
Spirits of St. Louis
(1974–1975) (ABA)
New Orleans Jazz
(1975) (NBA)
awards =

Bernie W. Fryer (born December 25, 1949 in Bellingham, Washington) is a retired American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA) for two seasons from 1973 to 1975cite web|title=Bernie Fryer|url=http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/f/fryerbe01.html|publisher=Basketball-Reference.com|accessdate=2007-08-03] and referee for twenty-eight seasons from 1978 to 2007.cite web|title=Bernie Fryer #7|url=http://www.probasketballrefs.com/Default.aspx?tabid=91|publisher=National Basketball Referees Association|accessdate=2007-08-03]

Early life

Fryer attended Port Angeles High School in Port Angeles, Washington. In high school, he participated in football and basketball and was named an "All-American" in both sports during his junior and senior season. Following high school, he attended and graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1972. At BYU, he played basketball and was selected to the All-Western Athletic Conference team from 1970 to 1972.

Professional basketball career

Fryer was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the seventh round of the 1972 NBA Draft. He never played for the Suns, however, making his NBA debut with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1973. He played 80 games for the Blazers during the 1973-74 season, and he was named to the All-Rookie Second Team after averaging 7.0 points and 3.5 assists per game.cite web|title=Did You Know?|url=http://www.nba.com/features/didyouknow_051219.html|publisher=National Basketball Association|accessdate=2007-08-03] The following season, he split time between the New Orleans Jazz of the NBA and the ABA's Spirits of St. Louis, scoring 157 combined NBA/ABA points before retiring in 1975. Over his playing career, he averaged 6.3 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 rebounds with the Trail Blazers and Jazz in the NBA and 7.8 points, 2.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds in nine games for the St. Louis Spirits in the ABA.

NBA officiating career

After retiring as a player, Fryer embarked upon a lengthy career as an NBA referee, beginning in 1978. As of the beginning of the 2006-07 NBA season, he officiated 1,649 regular season, 145 playoff, and 11 NBA Finals games as well as the 1998 All-Star Game. He was also one of two former NBA players (Leon Wood) who officiated in the league.cite news|title=Where Are They Now? Haywoode Workman| url=http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/alumni_workman.html|last=Brunner|first=Conrad|publisher=Indiana Pacers| accessdate=2007-08-03] During a 2002 playoff game between the Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic, Fryer and his officiating crew disallowed a field goal made by the Hornets Baron Davis.cite news|title=Stern: League will look at instant replay|url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/nba/stories/2002-04-29-replay.htm|last=Sheridan|first=Chris|publisher=Associated Press|date=2002-04-29|accessdate=2007-08-08] Davis received an inbound pass with 0.7 seconds remaining and successfully made the shot before the buzzer sounded. This incident led Commissioner David Stern to consider the use of instant replay in NBA games. Considered one of the top-rated referees in the league, he retired in 2007 following Game 3 of the 2007 NBA Finals.cite news|title=NBA officials see themselves in no-win situations| url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=bucherrefs|last=Bucher|first=Ric| authorlink=Ric Bucher|publisher=ESPN.com|date=2007-08-03|accessdate=2007-08-03] It was reported that Fryer was dissatisfied over the current state of management of officials.

References