Jeff Tamarri built a legacy across central Indiana's sports fields that stretched far beyond the whistles he blew. The 63-year-old veteran official, affectionately called "Jeff the Ref" by generations of young athletes, died Friday night after collapsing during a high school basketball game, school officials confirmed.
Monrovia Athletic Director Jon Regashus told NTD News that Tamarri collapsed during a live ball in the second quarter of the game.
"I was standing less than five feet from him when he went down. I don't have any knowledge or comment on what caused his collapse," he said in an emailed statement.
School trainers and emergency services workers rushed to help Tamarri, but it was too late.
Regashus gave thanks to all first responders and staff from both Monrovia and Speedway High School, who he said "did everything possible" to try and save Tamarri.
"I knew Jeff for a long time and he loved high school sports and he cared about student-athletes across the state," he said.
Those who knew Tamarri say his greatest strength was connecting with young athletes. Terry Taylor, Tamarri's best friend and roommate of nearly 15 years, told the Star that Tamarri had a special talent for making kids feel comfortable. "He would get to know the kids on the field, or on the court, and talk to them about the games. The kids loved him. They always knew they could approach him," Taylor said.
Michael Pawlik, who started officiating 12 years ago because of Tamarri's influence, told the Star that children were drawn to him. "He would be in the middle of the field talking to the kids and high-fiving them," Pawlik said.
Lance Scheib, a longtime football coach and broadcaster, told the Star that Tamarri treated youth games with the same seriousness as Friday night varsity matchups. "It was always fun to see how kids would gravitate to him. You always felt like he would make it a teachable moment every time he could for those kids," Scheib said.
Scheib said his youth football league will honor Tamarri's contributions next season.
In his Facebook post, Whitfield highlighted Tamarri's enormous heart and his gift for treating everyone with genuine respect.
He shared how Tamarri stood by him during a difficult situation with another official two years ago and followed up to check on his wellbeing. "That simple act of standing up for what was right, and following through with care, showed me the kind of man he was: someone who chose kindness and courage every single time," Whitfield wrote.
Tamarri's colleagues say he was in great shape and had no previous heart issues. They hope his sudden death might inspire other officials and men to get heart scans and screening for potential risks, colleagues told WTHR.