Those changes include separate dedicated locker rooms for women officials. Homepage image via Flickr user Keith Allison. The two pioneers paved the way for the female refs who make up 8% of the league's 75-member officiating staff. Dee Kantner, Charlotte, N.C.; Brenda Pantoja, Las Vegas; Pualani Spurlock-Welsh, Decatur, Ga.; Joe Vaszily, Westfield, N.J.; Included in the group of 11 are Kantner, who will be working an . I think she's the best WBB ref, without a doubt. Title IX had been passed by Congress as part of the Education Amendments of 1972, a few . Success! Dee entered the career as Referee In her early life after completing her formal education.. Born on May 3, 1960, the Referee Dee Kantner is arguably the worlds most influential social media star. Then we headed back to our hotel. "That summer, I attended an NCAA camp, and the men there were a bit taken aback by my presence. of officials, staff observers and coaches and general managers. Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. I was a challenge when Iwas a kid with my family andluckily, I had a mom and dadwho understood that this oneis going to speak out, she said. Dee Kantner. Lisa Jones knows fitness is key to her officiating success. I was surprised to find that Dee was very engaging, insightful about women's BB, willing to talk about relationships with coaches and playersand just a really fun (and professional) lady. Shejust said, Those are seven pagesof notes because your mechanicsare awful, your positioning isnot that good, but what youhave that feel for the game I cant teach you. It was the first time in major U.S. professional sports that women officiated regular-season games in an all-male league . More than anything, it's that normalcy that today's women NBA referees aspire to. With the NCAA, Kantner has been a referee in over twenty Final Four rounds and over ten championship games in womens basketball. There's simply a desire to make this world, and others like it, more accessible. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Occupation: NCAA Division-I women's college basketball official Age: 56 Residence: Charlotte, N.C. As a top women's college basketball official and former NBA referee, Dee Kantner's heard it all. The chapter awarded $500 scholarships in memory of longtime sports figure Dr. Richard Flannery to 36 Berks County senior athletes, 18 boys and 18 girls. And to say she's a trailblazer would be an understatement: She crossed over into the overtly masculine world of NBA basketball not only as an African American female, but also as a lesbian. But in 1997, the NBA world was a much different place for Violet Palmer who along with Dee Kantner became the first women referees in league history. ESPN.com news services. Kantner was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on May 3, 1960 and had three siblings. The 1997 Naismith Award winner as the women's basketball official of the year, Dee Kantner has officiated every NCAA Tournament since 1992. And not everyone was comfortable. Are we good? Kantner began refereeing while at the University of Pittsburgh. "People don't realize how much work it takes," she said. It was the first time in major U.S. professional sports that I know these kids didnt know Doc, Kantner said. Dee Kantner (born 1961) is a womens basketball referee for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. During her time with the NBA, she was the Supervisor of Officials for the Womens National Basketball Association from 1997 to 1998. Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling remembers feeling vulnerable, but not intimidated. She is not dating anyone. with her. And whenshe talked, you listened. Its a little brightin here! I would look at mymom and brothers and sisterand say, Im not talking back! Five Final Fours under our belts. What sprouted, unknown to either, was the fourth-ever female NBA referee, following league pioneer and recently retired Violet Palmer (1997-2016), dismissed current NCAA ref Dee Kantner (1997-2002 . Recently moved to VA to be with kids and (5) grandkids. Some officials brag about enduring the Courteau Treatment to this day. My dad was French andmy mother was Greek, shesaid. Five full-time women in officiating today eclipses the total of the NFL, MLB and NHL combined. "There's no reason why we shouldn't have more women as officials, coaches and basketball executives in our league," Silver said. To its credit, the NBA hasn't been satisfied at simply hitting numerical targets for the sake of appearance -- although no one's saying it's been perfect, either. Funny. Dee Kantner (born 1961) is a women's basketball referee for the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Kantner started with the Southern Conference before appearing in the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference throughout the 1990s. My mother and dad lived two houses away from my mothers sister, Auntie Zera. Decided to get a bite to eat and a drink at a local establishment. Fearless."It's pretty safe to say that Spy was the most influential magazine of the 1980s. She's . Dee Kantner's income source is mostly from being a successful . It was her nature to be inquisitive as a means to gauge just how prepared that official was and to reinforce how crucial proper mechanics are at all times. Subscribe to get the Referee.com Review every week plus periodic free training and special offers on the sports you officiate. "Dee has been terminated,'' NBA vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said. Violet Palmer in a still from a recent documentary about her career, 'Queen Vee.' It would quickly give way not only to an increase in gender diversity among officials, but to an inspiring tale of women empowerment and mentorship at the highest levels of a traditionally male field -- one full of locker room anecdotes, weekly Skype chats, group birthday vacations and a number of challenges. At 61 years old, Dee Kantner height not available right now. Whatfollowed in the figurativesense was that the boys in theboat started rowing in unisonfor a common cause. She played field hockey while at the University of Pittsburgh and graduated with an engineer's degree in 1982. Maybe the pinnacle ofCourteaus career came inher last Final Four as nationalcoordinator. Some stats are relative to league average (+ above average, below average).Personal fouls include all fouls, not just fouls called by this referee. On October 31, 1997, with her heart pumping, hands sweating, and the eyes of the entire world upon her, Violet Palmer stepped onto the basketball . She dedicated herself completely to the game, but also to earning respect just like anyone else. Dee Kantner, who started at the same time as Palmer, was fired after five years for "not making sufficient progress in her own development," according to an NBA statement given to the Associated . "Middle child" is perhaps more fitting; as the only one of the five, current full-time women in the league with a direct connection to the Palmer/Kantner days. One place Dee does not go unnoticed is in the Kay Yow Cancer Fund Board room. These included the Pac-10 Conference and West Coast Conference. It was early in Holtkamp-Sterling's young basketball officiating career, years before she'd ascend to the NBA level. February 14, 2021. "Her advice is always authentic.". Obviously, she is the best teacherand trainer in the country in the past,present and future that there couldpossibly be. ESPN was unable to obtain comment from Kantner, 60, for this story. Aidin Vaziri. And Ive beenopinionated and strong as awoman. We end up chatting with her and another ref who will work the Duke/ND game on Sat. In several ways, Violet Palmer was a trailblazer. The Kay Yow Cancer Fund Board of Directors is comprised of colleagues from the women's basketball world, distinguished physicians, respected business leaders, prominent media representatives, and allies in the fight against ALL cancers affecting women. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. One example was around1996 when Courteau served asDahlems assistant coach for theHastings (Minn.) High Schoolgirls volleyball team. College softball rankings: The top 25 teams in the NCAA this week, Women's Power Rankings: Pac-12 teams, Maryland show their teeth, SCNext Top 25: Ranking the best high school girls' basketball teams in the 2022-23 season, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 26-year-old social media star Ari Fletcher is still getting slammed with backlash following her disparaging remarks about victims of domestic violence. She found it at Comerica Park. Dee Kantner Net Worth. Title IX also made it better for Kantner and other women in athletics. Jun 14, 2016. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. The current supervisor of officials for the WNBA was the first female to referee an NBA game. Violet Palmer came into the NBA as something of a trailblazer and pioneer, as she and Dee Kantner became the league's first ever female referees upon their arrival in 1997. I look over and see Dee Kantner. Jan. 28, 2016 Updated: Jan. 29, 2016 7:04 a.m. 173. Referee Dee Kantner blows her whistle to call a play during the game between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Los Angeles Clippers at the STAPLES. ''I am, you're not,'' she said. Sarah Thomas - The first female official to work an NFL game. Captaincy chaos and Waldrum ultimatums - Will Nigeria be ready for World Cup? With the NCAA, Kantner has refereed for various Final Four and championship games since 1992. Kantner, who was fired by the NBA in 2002, said she believes there are more and better opportunities for women in athletics since 1972. Kantner only refereed in the NBA until 2002, leaving Palmer to be the lone female official until Lauren Holtkamp-Sterling became a full . Outside of the NCAA, Kantner was one of the first women referees in the National Basketball Association from 1997 to 2002. . There is no question Dee Kantner is the most famous & most loved celebrity of all the time. Her love for simply being on the basketball court fused with her desire to prove those naysayers wrong. Without hesitation, one officialsaid she was heading home toget a good rest and study herrulebook to be on top of hergame in preparation for thenext day, when she would beofficiating with June Courteau.. 29 May 1997 Jesse Timmedequas, found guilty of rape / murder of Megan Kanka, 7. Oct. 30Dee Kantner joked that being inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame made her feel old. In 1997, Violet Palmer became one of the first female referees in the NBA along with Dee Kantner. She debuted her NBA officiating career with a game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Vancouver Grizzlies. Allpossibilities were covered andthey had to be activated. She's been the subject of my "Three Blind Mice" chant at times, but I think she's the best one out there. In 38 seasons on the sideline in Knoxville, Summitt won eight national championships and 1,098 games, the most in NCAA men's or women's basketball history. As the buzzer sounded, the father of one of the boys in the game approached and accosted her over her gender. Since then, seven women have . The 62-year-old Kantner, who has lived in North Carolina for a long time, doesnt know where she would be without longtime Exeter girls basketball coach Jean Frey or Exeter history teacher Don Bickel, who convinced her to try cross country as a senior. Routing for Jeff and his girls. Kantner will be inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies in October in Reading. We have estimated Dee Kantner's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets. [4] Her first regular season game as an NBA referee was in November 1997 during a match between the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers. Adam Sweeting. Occasionally,she worked under a great dealof pressure. T he death of legendary coach Pat Summitt at age 64 last month marked the end of an era in women's sports. What a thrill. [16] After leaving the NBA, she continued to work in the WNBA as the Director of Referee Development from 2002 to 2004 and was renamed Supervisor of Officials in 2004. I remember I was in thekitchen making something to eatfor myself and my brother said,You need to make somethingfor me. And I said, Excuse me?He said, Youre the girl. And Isaid, Boy, theres no way youregetting anything from me!. Id do iton purpose to get her all riledup and it was fun to hear herdefend her profession becauseshe was so damn good at it.. My mother and dad lived two houses away from my mothers sister, Auntie Zera another ref who work. A trailblazer remarks about victims of domestic violence comment from Kantner, 60, for this.... Ready for world Cup work it takes, '' she said, you need to make me. 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