The final whistle: Brown set to retire from officiating after 44 years

By: 
Robert Maharry

A referee is only as good as his crew.
           
It’s a mantra that Pat Brown has adopted both on and off the field throughout a career that’s taken him around the country and spawned a football officiating community unrivaled by any other small town in Iowa—and perhaps, the U.S. Brown is set to call his final game at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls on Saturday with his son alongside him, but the legacy he’s left in his adopted hometown won’t fade away anytime soon.
           
“You hear this in every interview, but all of the people, coaches and players you’ve had an opportunity to officiate, be with or meet, you can’t even begin (to thank),” he said. “I was lucky enough to be a part of that.”
 
Laying the groundwork
           
Brown, a Grinnell native, first made his way to the area with his wife Kathy in 1973 as a high school official in Waterloo, and three years later, the family relocated to the friendlier confines of Grundy Center to raise their three children, Pat II, Jill and Michelle. He makes a point of thanking those who have worked with him and supported him along the way, and the first names he drops are Joe Einertson and Marv Ihnen—the best man in his father’s wedding.
           
After moving, Brown quickly met fellow referees Randy Thoren, Ron Dillet, Dan Olson and Ron Ross, and before long, they had assembled a five-man crew. The group officiated high profile high school games like Valley against Dowling and the state playoffs, and they played a crucial role in the formation of a countywide association that at one time boasted as many as 30 members and met weekly in Grundy Center.
           
“Those are the things that I really—I’m proud of that,” Brown said. “To me, when I think about all of this history in my officiating career, it all stems back to that. Those are the moments that mean the most to me.”
           
From there, he became a full-time official in the NCAA Division III Iowa Conference, which includes schools like Wartburg, Coe, Luther and Simpson, and in 2000, he continued to grade out well and joined a Division I-AA Gateway Conference crew—now known as the Missouri Valley. He’s been there ever since. 
 
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