View source for Danny Crawford

{{Short description|American basketball referee}}
{{for multi|the American politician|Danny Crawford (politician)|the Scottish missionary|Dan Crawford}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name   = Danny Crawford
| image = Dan Crawford, Washington at Orlando 044.jpg
| caption = Crawford in 2012
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1953|11|23}}
| birth_place = [[Chicago, Illinois]]
| death_date  = 
| death_place = 
| nationality    =
| education      = 
| occupation     = [[NBA]] [[Referee]]
| title          = 
| children       = 2 including [[Drew Crawford|Drew]]
| parents        = 
| website        = 
| spouse         = Claudia
}}
'''Danny Crawford''' (born November 23, 1953) is a retired American professional basketball [[Official (basketball)|referee]] in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). He made 23 straight NBA Finals appearances, achieving this in Game 1 of the [[2017 NBA Finals|2017 Finals]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Kopf|first=Dan|url=https://qz.com/996916/there-is-another-star-in-the-nba-finals-youre-not-thinking-about/|title=There is another star in the NBA Finals who has LeBron James beat|work=qz.com|date=June 3, 2017|accessdate=June 22, 2017}}</ref> Crawford was an NBA referee from 1985 to 2017 and worked at least one NBA Finals game each season from 1995 to 2017.<ref name=dnainfo>{{cite web|last=Breen|first=Justin|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130805/north-park/danny-crawford-nba-official-pays-homage-slain-neiu-athletic-director|title=Danny Crawford: NBA Official Pays Homage to Slain NEIU Athletic Director|work=dnainfo.com|date=August 5, 2013|accessdate=June 22, 2017|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803015345/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130805/north-park/danny-crawford-nba-official-pays-homage-slain-neiu-athletic-director|archivedate=August 3, 2017|df=mdy-all}}</ref> He will be inducted into the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame|Basketball Hall of Fame]] in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=REYNOLDS |first=TIM |date=2025-04-05 |title=Billy Donovan, Sylvia Fowles and Danny Crawford highlight Basketball Hall of Fame class |url=https://www.dailyherald.com/20250405/pro-sports/billy-donovan-sylvia-fowles-and-danny-crawford-highlight-basketball-hall-of-fame-class/ |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=Daily Herald |language=en-US}}</ref>

Crawford grew up in [[East Garfield Park, Chicago|East Garfield Park]] on the West Side of Chicago. He attended Ryerson Elementary School and was a basketball star at the now defunct Cregier High School.<ref name="dnainfo" /> In 1976, Crawford graduated from [[Northeastern Illinois University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neiu.edu/about/news/noteworthy-northeastern-pair-prestigious-awards|title=Noteworthy at Northeastern: A pair of prestigious awards|work=neiu.edu|date=February 19, 2016|accessdate=June 22, 2017}}</ref> As a guard, Crawford played hoops for NEIU, averaging 18 points as a sophomore. He majored in physical education, with hopes of becoming a gym teacher. Officiating was something he did on the side, for rec games and intramurals, to make a little extra cash while he was a student-teacher. He began to take it seriously in the late 1970s. He started with high schools, then junior college, and then Division 1 college basketball, where he officiated games in the [[Missouri Valley Conference]].<ref name="dnainfo" /> Crawford's first NBA game came in the 1984–85 season. In 2016, Crawford officiated his third [[NBA All-Star Game]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Johnson|first=K.C.|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/basketball/ct-chicago-nba-ref-all-stars-spt-0214-20160213-story.html|title=All-Star Game assignment never gets old for Chicago ref Danny Crawford|work=ChicagoTribune.com|date=February 14, 2016|accessdate=June 22, 2017}}</ref> In a 2016 survey conducted by the LA Times, NBA players voted on who they believed to be the best referee. Crawford received the most votes with 30. During an NBA game in 2013 Crawford was accidentally punched [[below the belt]] by [[Carlos Boozer]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Golliver |first1=Ben |title=Carlos Boozer celebrates basket with below-the-belt shot to referee |url=https://www.si.com/nba/2013/03/30/carlos-boozer-referee-punch-below-the-belt-bulls-mavericks-danny-crawford |work=Sports Illustrated |date=Mar 30, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Pollakoff |first1=Brett |title=Carlos Boozer accidentally punches referee below the belt |url=https://nba.nbcsports.com/2013/03/31/carlos-boozer-accidentally-punches-referee-below-the-belt-video/ |work=NBC Sports |date=Mar 31, 2013}}</ref>

Crawford's son, [[Drew Crawford|Drew]], is a professional basketball player.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nusports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3870|title=NU Sports – Drew Crawford – 2013–14|work=nusports.com |accessdate=June 22, 2017}}</ref>

On August 2, 2017, Crawford retired.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/OfficialNBARefs/status/892821632158388224|title=Dan Crawford, one of the most accomplished referees in NBA history, is retiring |accessdate=August 2, 2017}}</ref>

In April 2025, it was announced that Crawford would be inducted into the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame|Basketball Hall of Fame]] in the class of 2025. <ref>{{Cite web |last=REYNOLDS |first=TIM |date=2025-04-05 |title=Billy Donovan, Sylvia Fowles and Danny Crawford highlight Basketball Hall of Fame class |url=https://www.dailyherald.com/20250405/pro-sports/billy-donovan-sylvia-fowles-and-danny-crawford-highlight-basketball-hall-of-fame-class/ |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=Daily Herald |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame members}}
{{2025 Basketball HOF}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawford, Danny}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:African-American referees and umpires]]
[[Category:NBA referees]]
[[Category:Northeastern Illinois Golden Eagles men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Continental Basketball Association referees]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American people]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Chicago]]


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