BASKETBALL REFEREE TAKES TO THE COURTS FOR RELAXATION

Few people would choose a hobby that involves exhaustive running in sometimes deafeningly loud, close quarters with people shouting their disapproval.

But Ryland "Dutch" Meyr, a basketball referee in Southeast Missouri for the past three decades, claims the job relaxes him.

Meyr's "day job" is in the cattle and meat-packing business. He owns Fruitland Dressed Meats in Fruitland, and officiating lets him escape from the pressures common to most businessmen.

"Officiating totally relaxes me," he said. "I just totally forget about the pressures from work. Other people play golf or go fishing; I officiate."

A former standout as a football player and coach, officiating also keeps Meyr, 51, close to athletics his lifelong passion.

"I miss coaching very much," he said. "I always had success in coaching, and this keeps me as close to that as I can. And I couldn't pay $100 to get a workout like we do in a ball game.

"Also, all the contacts you make with people involved with sports; most of them are all just plain-old, good people."

Meyr's unflagging love for competition started early in life. In college he was an All-American tackle for Southeast Missouri State University. Upon graduation in 1962, he began a long and successful coaching career.

A football and track coach at Cape Central High School from 1962-68, Meyr then coached the offensive line and was offensive coordinator for the Southeast Missouri State Indians for nine years. He returned to Central in 1977, where he was head coach for about five years.

In 25 years of playing and coaching football, Meyr suffered only one losing season a feat he attributes to "luck."

"It doesn't mean I was that good or anything; it just means I stayed at the right places at the right time," he said.

Meyr quickly recalls his most memorable game as a coach, when he had a particularly good Central team in 1978. He said the team was "one play away" from the state championship game that year.

He said many Central fans are still familiar with the play, a "bad-pass special."

"We were playing Hazlewood Central, and a friend of mine had told me about this bounce lateral to a wide receiver," Meyr said.

The play involves the quarterback dropping back to pass to a receiver split out near the sideline. The trick is that the receiver stands behind the quarterback so that the overhead pass is technically a lateral. The pass is intentionally thrown to the ground to appear incomplete, when in fact it's the same as a pitch or toss to any running back and the ball remains "live."

"The receiver acted like it was an incomplete pass, then picked it up and threw an 80-yard touchdown pass," Meyr said. "The only thing wrong with the play is that the receiver did such a good acting job that the official thought the play was dead and called the touchdown back."

The former coach said the touchdown would have put Central ahead 7-0 just prior to halftime. Central ended up losing 14-7 in the last plays of the game.

Meyr said officiating doesn't involve the kind of pressures associated with coaching and playing.

"The officiating is fun in that regard," he said. "You don't have to worry about anyone else. It's just you; you have to do your own conditioning and get only yourself prepared for a game."

In his 29th year of officiating, Meyr said he has no plans to quit soon. "My legs are in as good a shape as they've ever been," he said. "As long as I'm able to, and as long as they have me, I want to keep doing it."

Meyr has officiated the state championship twice, and he's known by coaches and fans for his consistency.

"That's the best compliment I can get," he said. "They may not like the way that I call it, but they like that I'm consistent.

"I think the most important virtue of being an official is being consistent. If I call it the same way every time, everybody may not always like the call, but at least they'll know I'll be fair."

Meyr said the occasions when fans have gotten out of hand protesting one of his calls are few and far between.

"I really haven't had any problems with fans for quite a few years," he said. "It doesn't seem like they're as wild as they used to be.

"I only officiate because it's fun and I enjoy doing it. I don't go out there looking for problems. If I can prevent them, I do. In earlier years I didn't have quite the same attitude I do now."

Meyr fondly remembers officiating the two state championship games, both of which were decided by a few points. He also officiated a classic matchup a few years ago between Jackson and Notre Dame high schools.

The game, which was decided on a last-second basket, featured five players who accepted scholarships to play college basketball, including former Southeast standouts Danny Dohogne and Mike Lewis.

Meyr said the close games are as hard on officials as they are coaches, players and fans. He said concentration is the key for officials.

"When we get in a real tight game, we tell each other, `Let's take our time,'" he said. "When we get the ball after a violation or after the ball goes out of bounds, we just hold on to it and let everyone settle down. It allows us to concentrate and it lets the players settle down. That's the most important thing for an official. Most of my mistakes come as a result of getting in a hurry."

Meyr said the most unfortunate call an official can make is one that decides a game. He recalls a game in the University High Christmas Tournament at the Show Me Center two years ago between Kelly and Bell City.

"It was decided on the extreme closeness of whether a foul was before the horn or after time expired," he said. "I felt I made the right decision, but I don't think I'll ever convince everybody that saw the game that it was the right decision.

"That was probably one of the hardest calls I ever had to make because it 100 percent decided the game one way or the other.

"You don't ever as an official want to decide a ball game. But unfortunately it sometimes comes down to a last call one way or the other."