Big John was a pillar of basketball officiating in Canada. However, most important of all, he was an outstanding human being and citizen. John began his official's career in the early 1960s and hung up his whistle in 1989. In those years, one would be hard pressed to find an official who was more respected from coast to coast by fellow officials, players and coaches. His skills, knowledge of the game and calm demeanor made him one of Canada's top officials for decades. This was just a part of a long international career which brought him around the world. Within Canada, John traveled throughout the country giving clinics on FIBA rules as well as officiating, and later supervising countless national championships. In 1976, he was chosen to officiate the Summer Olympics in his home town of Montreal. In 1989, John was the recipient of the Ted Early Memorial Award, one of CABO's highest honors. While in his home province, he was a founding member of the CPA (Comité Provincial d’Arbitrage), which oversees the wellbeing of Quebec local basketball associations, and was inducted into the Quebec Basketball Hall of fame in 2002. Locally, he served as an interpreter for his local board MMBRA and was the first inductee into their hall of fame. The basketball community gives their deepest condolences to his family Sandy, Sean, and Shannon, he will be truly missed.
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