When you talk about sports figures in Lawrence County covering the past 60 years, the name of Joe Swarts had to be mentioned.

When Joe died on Monday, a piece of sports history died with him.

Dating back to his part of the 1951 St. Joseph Flyers “Famous Five” regional qualifying basketball team, Joe has been involved in athletics at all levels.

Following a stint in the military after high school, Flyers’ baseball coach Pat Sheridan talked Joe into umpiring his baseball games. He called his first game in 1961 and he never slowed down.

During his career, Joe worked regional basketball and baseball games, umpired in the state tournament twice, was the Ironton Officials Chapter secretary for 19 years and was the Southeast District Board representative for 15 years.

Joe capped a brilliant career when he was named to the Ohio High School Officials Association Hall of Fame in 1999, an honor that was well deserved.

Besides officiating, Joe coached in the Coal Grove Little League and served as its president twice, coming back for a second term to take the organization that was broke into the black.

He kept the scoreboard at the Coal Grove varsity basketball games. He worked for 33 years at Dow Chemical where he laid out the softball field, helped build the pavilion and restroom area, and then helped maintained the facilities.

Anyone who knew Joe knew he was an easy-going personality, but you never misinterpreted that for a lack of toughness or confidence.

His oldest son, Mike, officiated with his father for 20 years but quit and focused his attention on coaching. Mike admired his father and crew members Bill Rapp, Ralph Davis and Gene James.

“Dad had a good temperament and I didn’t. The crowd would get on you and he took it in stride. My blood would start boiling. He and Rapp could take it in stride. That’s why I didn’t last,” said Mike.

The unsung hero in Joe’s life was his wife, Rosie, whom he married in December of 1954. Rosie loved sports and helped her husband as much as she could when you consider that she spent a lot of her time raising five children.

Joe called his final game with an impressive group of officials: Jim and Mike Mahlmeister, Davis and Tim Collins.

“The last game I called with Joe, he had the gout. He was the referee and had to chase a plan down the field. He had this look in his eye that something was wrong,” said Mike Mahlmeister.

“But he never said a word, but he never called another game. He had his surgery and the doctor wouldn’t let him come back. But the thing I miss is every time we lined up before a game, Joe always sang the national anthem. He’d never win a singing award, but he never missed a word.”

Joe never missed a word. He never missed a game.

But now with his passing, we will miss him.

—— Sinatra ——

Jim Walker is sports editor of The Ironton Tribune.