The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Bova cherishes reunion
It was a reunion 25 years in the making, and Phil Bova loved every minute of it.
The longtime Big Ten college basketball referee and author of the book, “Throwing Back The Chair,” signed his book and posed for pictures at the March 6-8 Midwest Sports Spectacular in Columbus.
The book chronicles the Westlake resident’s longtime career as a ref. Included is one of college basketball’s most outrageous incidents when in February 1985 Knight was so upset by a call in a game against Indiana, he hurled a chair across the floor at IU’s Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana.
Knight was thrown out of the game by the threeman referee crew — one of whom was Bova. Last month was the 35th anniversary of the incident.
Knight also made an appearance at the show on March 8. It also gave Bova and Knight the chance to meet face to face for the first time in 25 years.
“I can’t tell it was very emotional,” said Bova. “It was like, ‘Here comes Bob.’ It was such a classic scene. We laughed a lot. He hasn’t lost his sense of humor. I was just caught up in the moment. It was really, really special.”
Knight and Bova sat together for a portion of the show and posed for photos and signed autographs. Bova said he signed more than 100 chairs and posed for hundreds and hundreds of photos.
Knight also made an appearance at the March 5 Illinois at Ohio State men’s basketball game at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus for a ceremony honoring the Buckeyes’ 1960 national championship team. Knight was a reserve player on that team, which featured Hall of Famers John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas.
When Knight arrived at the show March 8, it caused a bit of buzz. Knight rarely made public appearances in Columbus other than when he was the coach of the Hoosiers.
“So many people were lined up to get his autograph,” said Bova. “The response for him was very positive.”
Bova said the chairthrowing incident was the trigger for writing his book, so meeting Knight face to face was — in a way — the chance for the two to come full circle.
“It’s part of our legacy,” said Bova.