Game officials Eric Coburn and Ron Day will be recognized with special awards in 2023 by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.

Coburn and Day will be honored as respective winners of the Roy Gardner and Mildred Ball awards as outstanding officials throughout long careers on the hardwood. The two officials are being cited for their work impacting the game floor, Coburn from 1985 to 2022 and Day from 1991 to the present.

Coburn officiated for 38 seasons, including five times in the boys' basketball State Finals and five times in the girls' basketball State Finals while a member of the Northern Officials Association of Indiana. The Leesburg resident received the IHSAA Award as Official of the Year in girls' basketball in 2007 and the IHSAA Award as Official of the Year in boys' basketball in 2015. He served as association secretary for 10 years, association president for eight years, has been an IHSAA clinician for 10 years and an IHSAA rules interpreter for 12 years. He also has mentored five officials who have gone on to work the IHSAA boys' and girls' State Finals.

Coburn is a 1974 graduate of Wawasee High School, where he participated in football, basketball and track. He then went to Ivy Tech, where he earned a certification in aircraft maintenance. He was a Warsaw city police officer for 32 years and has been teaching Aviation Ground School at Warsaw High School for nine years.

Coburn started officiating in 1985 after providing a police escort for the Warsaw Tigers, who won the IHSAA boys’ basketball state championship that season. He and his long-time police partner and 20-year basketball officiating partner, Lance Grubbs, argued calls during that championship game. They both agreed to get licensed in basketball and started officiating together at the elementary level, then moved into middle school and freshman level.

After joining the Northern Indiana Officials Association and being mentored by many veteran officials and learning from several past winners of the Gardner Award, they started working junior varsity games. Coburn’s first boys’ varsity game came at Penn High School in the inauguration game of the new “Penn Palace” basketball court.

After joining the Northern Indiana Officials Association and being mentored by many veteran officials and learning from several past winners of the Gardner Award, they started working junior varsity games. Coburn’s first boys’ varsity game came at Penn High School in the inauguration game of the new “Penn Palace” basketball court.

After 38 years, Coburn has worked in both the girls’ basketball and boys’ basketball state tournaments. For girls, he has worked 28 sectionals, 19 regionals, 11 semi-states and five State Finals. For boys, he has worked 21 sectionals, 13 regionals, nine semi-states and five State Finals. He also has officiated in three Hall of Fame Classic events in New Castle.

Coburn received the IHSAA Outstanding Girls’ Basketball Official Award in 2007 and the IHSAA Outstanding Boys’ Basketball Official Award in 2015.

As a member of the Northern Officials Association of Indiana, Coburn has served as secretary for 10 years and president for eight years. He has also been an IHSAA clinician for 10 years and an IHSAA rules interpreter for 12 years. Coburn has mentored five officials who have gone on to work the IHSAA boys’ and girls’ State Finals.

He enjoys golf, hunting and flying. He has been an Angel Flight pilot since 2006, providing no-charge airplane flights for people in need to hospitals or doctors.

Coburn is humbled to receive this recognition from the IBCA and would like to give credit to mentors Gene Butts, Frank DeSantis, Tim and Jay Smith, Clark Hamilton, and current partners Kirk Robinson, Trent Long, Brett Patrick, and many others with whom he has officiated.

Day, a Plymouth resident, just completed his 32nd season as an official. He has worked the boys' basketball State Finals five times and the girls' basketball State Finals five times. He has been a member of the Northern Officials Association of Indiana for 30 years and also the Lake County Association for 15 years. He has served as a clinician for a number of years and mentored many younger officials.

Now in his 32nd as an official, Day began officiating in 1991 and has worked at least one State Finals’ game in each class for both boys and girls. Among those games, he called the 2009 Class 4A girls’ title game in Lucas Oil Stadium between Ben Davis and South Bend Washington, a game considered a mythical national title game as the teams were ranked first and second in national polls. It was among the best attended girls’ basketball games with a crowd of 13,449.

During his time as a official, Day has worked 26 sectionals, 16 regionals, seven semi-states, five State Finals (2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and 2021) for boys’ basketball as well as 26 sectionals, 18 regionals, eight semi-states and five State Finals (2006, 2009, 2012, 2015 and 2019) for girls’ basketball. He also called the 2004 girls’ Hall of Fame Classic in New Castle.

Day as been a member of the Northern Officials Association of Indiana for 30 years and also the Lake County Association for 15 years. Has served as a clinician for a number of years and mentored many younger officials.

A 1981 graduate of Plymouth High School, Day participated in basketball and track, was a two-time all-conference honoree in track and part of a 400-meter relay that held a school record for more than 25 years. He went on to Indiana University, where he was a 1986 graduate of the Kelley School of Business. He has been a self-employed contractor in a family business for 33 years.

Day and his wife, Lori, have two adult children – Katie (husband Brendan) and Eric (wife Kristen) – as well as two grandchildren with a third grandchild due in June. In his free time, Day enjoys spending time with family as well as traveling, reading, golfing and cheering the Minnesota Vikings.

As for officiating, Day said: “I was fortunate to have three excellent regular partners in officiating – Tim Filson, Brian Allen and Tom Hinz. They made it fun each and every night. Also, a shout out to my son, Eric, who attended hundreds of my games and is the best observer I ever had.”