or 'you have plenty of games on the women's side,' I wasn't surprised when they didn't give me a shot at it. These included the Pac-10 Conference and West Coast Conference. Captaincy chaos and Waldrum ultimatums - Will Nigeria be ready for World Cup? No. Are weOK? And she said, Yep, I gotit.. . He previously worked at the Standard-Speaker in Hazleton, where he was raised. Shes a womanof high integrity, honesty andsensitivity. She had a conversationwith the parent as the gamewas going on and she providedemotional support, which Ithink the parent was trying todo, but in a real inappropriateway. At the end of last season, the league had 59 referees on staff. "This isn't, 'Let's go out and do social work,'" Monty McCutchen, NBA's vice president of referee development and training, said. -Geno Auriemma. It was Dahlem whoencouraged Courteau toaccept the national coordinatorposition in 2014 and watchedher make an enormous impactin her position. View. Dee Kantner (F) Larry Sheppard (F) 12 Women's Final Four Game Officials 1996 Art Bomegen (SF) Doug Cloud (SF) Wes Dean (SF) John Morningstar (SF) Bob Trammell (SF) Scott Yarborough (SF) Sally Bell (F) Dee Kantner (F) Violet Palmer (F) 1997 Sally Bell (SF) Carla Fujimoto (SF) Ray Bomeli (SF) "I always had that mentor, a role model on how to be successful in a male-dominated field," Schroeder said. The land Cafe Stella sits on -- the Sunset Junction shopping complex, with its famous arrow sign -- belongs to an LLC that's registered to Kantner and his wife, Christine. Who is the player of the year in every women's college basketball conference? Jan. 28, 2016 Updated: Jan. 29, 2016 7:04 a.m. 173. 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 . Five full-time women in officiating today eclipses the total of the NFL, MLB and NHL combined. There seemed to be quite a gap after they hired Violet and me. Palmer believes it's because the NBA is a diverse organization that pushes for equality on a variety of levels. 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. She started officiating in 1968 at the age of 20 and built a spectacular career at the college level, with the International Basketball Federation and in the professional ranks. Very excitingand they won! Kantner said she believes womens pursuit of equality goes on, even 50 years after the passage of Title IX. The prep that goes intothat, June is the master atthose kinds of things. Decided to get a bite to eat and a drink at a local establishment. Our six experts have officiated a combined 152 . 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. That means indirectly, Youre kind of better than I am because youre seeing something and I recognize that! So, that makes them feel a little bit better and its like, Shes not dissing me. So now were having a conversation! Kantner spent her childhood in Reading, Pennsylvania. Kantner, 36, of Charlotte, N.C., was the supervisor of officials this summer for the inaugural season of the Women's National Basketball Assn. When we see one referee get some type of accolade, we highlight it on our pages on social media. During her time with the NBA, she was the Supervisor of Officials for the Women's National Basketball Association from 1997 to 1998. 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 would probably be working a different job.. "She taught me how to carry myself, how to be comfortable being the only woman in the room all the time. As she grew up andbecame the official she became,I used to give her all kinds ofgrief about officials. It was the first time in major U.S. professional sports that What has Courteaurepresented as nationalcoordinator? Hard workers just work hard and let their results speak for themselves." You can find out how much net worth Dee has this year and how she spent her expenses. They allow the league's scouts to evaluate larger swaths of the population and identify greater cumulative talent. I am completely blown away, to be honest.". Nine minutes in, she blew her whistle when a ball was deflected out of bounds. [15] By 2019, Kantner had remained in her supervisory role with the WNBA for almost 15 years. Some officials brag about enduring the Courteau Treatment to this day. I turned around and I said tohim, Andy, you have a choice. Kantner was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2019. She's . Mark Johnson, one ofCourteaus cousins from the oldneighborhood, recalled a bornleader. Dee Kantner has a net worth of $5.00 million (Estimated) which she earned from her occupation as Referee. Its obviously much better. I said, You metsomebody, didnt you? Thatswhen she had met Terry andthats when they got together. With so many other factors weighing against her career, Palmer knew that making an issue of her sexuality would only add another bullseye to the back of her shirt. People remember the wayyou made them feel and thatsthe way I think it is with June. I really believe I was predestined to continue in basketball in some form just to repay the debt that I owe, Kantner said. After graduating from North St. Paul High School in 1966, she earned a Bachelor of Science in physical education, health, speech and theater from Winona State in 72 and then a Masters of Arts in speech and communications from Northern Iowa in 76. 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.. Dee reffed the UNC game tonite. When we see three females working the G League together, we're empowered, we're inspired. Hardwood Herstory - Dee Kantner. Anyway, as part of our introduction to the ACC, we're attending the Tournament in Greensboro. Dee Kantner Net Worth. I went, Holy smokes!. When you say, Coach, what are you seeing that Im not seeing? people dont realize thats a powerful statement, Courteau said. With the NCAA, Kantner has refereed for various Final Four and championship games in women's basketball. Her late fathers words have resonated within Courteau since. Shes grounded meand we get along so well,Courteau said. As a proud Black and LGBTQ woman, Palmer especially was a barrier-breaker in more ways than one. I get up, I go behindthe scorers table, the gamesgoing on and Im heading intothe locker room and there isLisa Jones. [9] In 1990, Kantner was a referee at an exhibition game for the LSU Tigers men's basketball team. Was the buffer Palmer and Kantner created an impenetrable one? "Dee has been terminated,'' NBA vice president of basketball Dee is an ideal celebrity influencer. Could she be difficult? . The initial inspirationcame from her parents and thereis one memory with her fatherCourteau recalls that causes hervoice to crack with emotion. Aidin Vaziri. Several of the full-timers are close friends off the court. ", And really, that's all Palmer ever wanteda shot, a chance to prove that she was just as good as her male counterparts, if not better, regardless of gender. 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 court at a game between the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks. Courteauwasnt afraid to speak her mindand she didnt hesitate to dig inwhen it came time to hold herground. In the near two decades she's spent refereeing with the NBA, she has seen her body break down and her ability to keep up with the job's rigorous travel schedule diminish substantially. One of the positives is that they get paid quite well, at least at the DI level. That makes Kantner the . And now that she is walkinginto the sunset as she approachesher 71st birthday in September,Courteau can do so knowing that thejob she reluctantly accepted butembraced once she did has beendone remarkably well. Schroeder said she'd love to see her daughter take up officiating when she grows up -- although she joked her wife, Anderson, may represent the more lucrative career path as a physician. Kantner left engineering in 1984 when she was hired as an NCAA Division I official. I'm a relatively new Boneyard member. There is no question Dee Kantner is the most famous & most loved celebrity of all the time. Recently moved to VA to be with kids and (5) grandkids. In 1997, Kantner was hired as one of the first women referees in the National Basketball Association alongside Violet Palmer. Always cool. Great story. and an opportunity for me to go back into the archives. One comment she made was that she asked Sarah Hammond if she was 32 - 'cause they worked together for so long! With the NCAA, Kantner has refereed for various Final Four and championship games in womens basketball. Palmer recalls all the media hubbub that surrounded her and Kantner when they entered the league; when Holtkamp-Sterling did the same 17 years later, there was hardly so much as a press release -- something Palmer delighted in seeing. She was like, Oh,Terry, youve got to listen to this!, As Courteau raved, shecontinued highlighting passages. Those whispers Holtkamp-Sterling would hear as she entered the league years later? More than anything, it's that normalcy that today's women NBA referees aspire to. Since then, seven women have . Were very much like that and I grew up like that. Palmer's focus was internal. After university, she worked in sales engineering. She is from United States. So many snap-judgments throughout and we fans will never be 100% happy. In 1996, Palmer says her name was being considered alongside other referees for the Men's Division I NCAA Tournament. Adam Sweeting. But no one, not by a long shot, thinks the work is done. These goals are attainable now in ways they just couldn't have been even a generation prior. Palmer and Kantner were so much more than just trailblazers; the weight they shouldered eased the burden for all who came after. (Dahlem was born inHershey, Pa.) What has Dahlemmeant to Courteau? Kantner, who was fired by the NBA in 2002, said she believes there are more and better opportunities for women in athletics since 1972. 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