After 50 seasons, Galesburg’s Joe Thompson is hanging up the basketball whistle for good.
Licensed by the Illinois High School Association in 1975, Thompson has officiated more than 3,000 games, worked state finals in basketball, volleyball, and softball, and been inducted into three halls of fame. He sat down with WGIL’s Jay Redfern to reflect on a five-decade career that began when a spectator at a Galesburg game told him to try officiating himself if he thought he could do better.
In the conversation, Thompson talks about how the game has changed since 1975 — the arrival of the three-point line, the transition to three-man crews, and the coming shot clock — as well as the officiating shortage, the four-class system, and what it was like to share the floor with players like Marcus Liberty, Kevin Garnett, Joey Range and Darius Miles. He also reflects on the coaches who made him better, the gyms that tested him most, and the camaraderie that kept him coming back for 50 years.
Thompson will continue officiating volleyball and umpiring softball, and plans to serve as an IHSA clinician and mentor. But after this season, the basketball whistle is done.
▶️ Watch the full interview on the WGIL YouTube channel.