Involved in sports in numerous capacities for more than half a century, Phil Bova sticks to a few basic principles when describing what it takes to be a winner.
“To be a student-athlete is really a gift from God,” Bova said. “If you play a sport, leave it all on the court or leave it all on the field. That’s one of the things I always tried to do. Let the chips fall where they may but make realistic goals. Don’t be side-tracked by things that can easily knock you off track. Not everyone’s going to be an athlete, but whatever you attempt, be the best you can be.”
Those concepts served the 1964 Cleveland West graduate well, leading him to a career that included playing minor league baseball, running a summer baseball camp, working in education, and officiating high school and college basketball.
The 2025 OHSAA Circle of Champions inductee officiated numerous big men's college basketball games over the years, including one that stands out because of an infamous incident.
“I worked the game when Bobby Knight threw the chair,” Bova said. “It was Feb. 23, 1985, and I wrote a book about it called, ‘Throwing Back the Chair’ which took two years to write. I also have a documentary coming out about it that’s also called ‘Throwing Back the Chair. It’s (a) really special (memory).”
The game in question came two years before the Hoosiers won their third national championship under Knight and took place late in the regular season against Purdue.
Just five minutes into the game, Knight was whistled for a technical foul and showed his frustration by throwing a chair across the free-throw lane to pick up another technical foul and an ejection. The Hoosiers lost that game 72-63 during a season in which they failed to make the NCAA tournament — one of only five times that occurred during Knight’s 29-year tenure heading the program — but the game remains one of the most memorable of his career and to Bova.
“When you work games with 17,000 people in attendance, nationally televised games, you had better be on your ‘A’ game,” Bova said. “It’s one thing to get there—it's another thing to stay there.”
Also a standout in football and basketball at the prep level, Bova was an all-state shortstop for the baseball team and then played two seasons of professional baseball in the Cleveland Indians’ organization.
He got his first experience as a referee at a Cleveland Browns charity event in 1968, setting the stage for him becoming a long-time official.
"You start your way at the bottom and work your way up (in basketball officiating),” Bova said. “You’d (referee) seven games on Saturday and Sunday for a grand total of $3 a game, and you’d leave with a grand total of $42 for the weekend. I thought I was important.”
He began officiating college men’s basketball in 1976 and would work games primarily in the Big Ten for the next three decades—officiating close to 1,000 games. He also was selected to officiate the 1977 OHSAA boys large-school state semifinal and more than 20 NCAA tournaments, including a Final Four, before retiring from officiating in 2006. In addition, he officiated the National Invitational Tournament for two decades, including the 1993 championship at Madison Square Garden, and tournament championship games for virtually every major collegiate conference.
Bova served as president of the Big Ten Officials Association for eight terms.
He previously was elected to the Medina County Sports Hall of Fame and the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in addition to his OHSAA honor.
“Final Fours are difficult to work, and some guys are great referees and don’t get a chance to work one tournament game,” Bova said. “I was blessed to work 20 consecutive NCAA tournaments. I feel good about what I’ve accomplished. One of the things I always remind referees at any level is to make sure you put things in perspective because there’s going to be a time where it’s all going to end.”
After graduating from Cleveland West, Bova played baseball and coached at Cleveland State.
He then earned a master’s degree from Ashland University, enhancing a career path that also would include being director of the Occupational Work Experience program for Buckeye Local Schools in Medina County for 35 years. He won honors as Educator of the Year and Employee of the Year.
For 45 years during the summer, Bova ran the Phil Bova Baseball School where he trained kids from ages 7-14.
“We had 200 kids every summer for two weeks at each camp, with a staff of 35-40, and we trained kids to get to the next level,” Bova said. “So often because of where we are in Ohio, the weather is brutal. That camp was noted to teach the kids the game the right way so that when they did get to the next level, they’d learn the right way and they’d be ready to rock and roll. Everybody loved baseball, and it was wonderful.
“I was blessed to have excellent coaches. It’s imperative for these kids today, and back then our coaches were in the schools. Because of the way coaching is now, they’re not all in the school and they’re not all educators. God bless those who try to balance both.”
Bova at one point considered becoming an NBA official, but after officiating preseason games, decided it would be too difficult to remain in education because of the sometimes-grueling schedule of professional basketball.
Bova has been married to his wife, Donna Bova, for 57 years, and the couple have three children and nine grandchildren.
“If I learned anything, I learned discipline," Bova said. "My dad was a Cleveland detective and my whole family is Cleveland police. I played football, basketball, and baseball. Today, it’s a big commitment to play one sport, and the training today is better than ever.
“I was an educator for 44 years and I worked college basketball for 44 years. I had two careers I had to balance, and I’ve been married to my wife, Donna Bova, for 57 years. I worked my way up (in officiating) and worked in the Big Ten for 30 years and in Ohio High School tournaments for a number of years, but I got my break at 28 years old and stayed in the Big Ten for 30 years. The Ohio High School Athletic Association does so many wonderful things for kids, and it's a tribute to these people for the job they do."