Ralph Stout is considered one of the greatest basketball and football officials to ever put on a striped shirt. He worked everything from the NAIA tournament to the Sugar Bowl. Stout grew up in Johnson City and was an outstanding football and basketball player. He attended Lincoln Memorial University on a basketball scholarship from 1939 to 1942 before serving in the Navy during World War II. He then graduated with highest honors from Elgin Watch Makers College in 1945. Stout officiated college and high school football and basketball for over forty years. He worked as a referee in Southern Conference football for fourteen years. In basketball, Stout worked for the OVC, the Southern Conference, the SEC, and the ACC. He was selected to officiate the ACC tourney seven times, the Southern tourney twelve times, and the NAIA tournament seven times. Among numerous awards and honors, Stout was chosen by his fellow officials in the Southern Conference as recipient of the Silver Whistle Award five times. In his professional life, Stout worked in his family jewelry business for over forty-five years. He was elected mayor of Mountain City in 1947 and served with distinction for nineteen years. A member of various halls of fame, including the TSSAA Hall of Fame, Ralph Stout gave his all to officiating and for this, he holds a place of honor in the proud history of Tennessee sports.
