?️ Dive into the extraordinary life of Ed Hightower on this heart-pounding episode of Circuit of Success Podcast! ? From humble beginnings in the South to the global stage as a former NCAA basketball referee, Ed shares his riveting journey with host Brett Gilliland. ? Uncover the secrets to Ed's success as he emphasizes the crucial role of a solid value system and guardrails in staying focused and on track. Get the inside scoop on facing legendary coaches like Bobby Knight and Judd Heathcote, and the invaluable lessons learned by doing the right thing, even when it's unpopular. Hear firsthand about his experiences representing the United States in international tournaments and the art of staying objective in high-stakes moments. ? Ed's motivational insights extend beyond the court, urging young people to do the right thing when no one is watching and take ownership of mistakes. Don't miss out on the incredible anecdotes, including Ed's unforgettable night at the Final Four dinner in 1989, seated next to none other than the legendary Andy Kaufman! Join us for an inspiring conversation with a true game-changer. Ed Hightower's story is a beacon of hard work, dedication, and resilience—packed with timeless lessons applicable to everyone. #EdHightower #NCAAReferee #CircuitOfSuccess



Full Youtube Episode

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Welcome to the Circuit of Success. I'm your host

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Brett Gilliland. And today, I've got Ed Hightower

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with me. Ed, how you doing? Oh, the

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pleasure is all mine, Brett. It's good to

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be with you. It's good to be with

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you. So,

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well, people that don't know. You probably, everybody's

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watching this knows who are. I mean, you've

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had a heck of a career. Well, I've

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been very fortunate. I've had a lot of

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support along the way, and,

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very, very blessed. Yes. Yes. Absolutely. So former

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superintendent at Edwardsville Hightower school, nineteen years in

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Edwardsville, but forty years in education.

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Forty years in education. In,

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nineteen years, a superintendent update at Whisfield School

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District. I went there in nineteen ninety Gilliland

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retired.

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In two thousand fifteen. So Amazing. In, thirty

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six years, is an NCAA referee? Thirty six

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years as an NC Yagate referee, thirty three

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years in the Big 10:12

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final fours, the World Games. Man,

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representative of the United States at the World

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Games in Bonazaris,

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a representative of the United States at the

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Good World Games in, Saint Petersburg so I

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was very, very fortunate. That's incredible. Incredible. I

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remember you in my, fighting a Lineite days

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when I was, you know, younger man and

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and watch to my my flying line item,

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which we I wanna talk about that later

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if that's alright. So but if you can,

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Ed, give us a little lay of the

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lay in the story. You don't just wake

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up and spend forty years and get your

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doctorate and, you know, have an amazing marriage

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of forty nine years, two daughters, NCAA AA,

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all the stuff that we just mentioned. But

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what's what's some of that backstory? Some of

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your stories? Well, back story, you know, I'm

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just one of these,

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young individuals,

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very fortunate.

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I grew up in the south.

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My mom and and,

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dad, divorced when I was twelve years old.

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I'm the second of eight Children, I never

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thought that, I would complete,

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even a high school education when I was

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in the south.

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Things were tough. My mom

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moved,

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to Alton, Illinois in nineteen,

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sixty six.

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And,

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she always made education a priority,

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education church, given back to the community a

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priority.

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For all eight of us,

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siblings.

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Yeah. And, we were very fortunate. And from

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that point,

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played basketball,

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baseball at Alton High School,

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nineteen seventy. I graduated and went to s

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I u e on a basketball scholarship plate

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for the cougars. I know that. And started

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refereeing intramural basketballs with these poor kids,

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didn't have any money, but, start refereeing intramural

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basketball,

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in nineteen seventy one for a dollar and

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twenty five cents a game. Think about that

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one for a moment. Man.

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And,

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I'd watch,

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you know, I I had no,

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relationship with officials when I when I played.

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But,

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you know, when you can,

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referee,

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the various fraternities,

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in college

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and some of those guys who think that

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they were the best players ever, and some

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of those guys who never could play. Yeah.

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You you get a a mix and a

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variance of,

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my term is better than your fraternity.

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There you go.

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And so I graduated,

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in nineteen seventy four, I started teaching. My

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wife and I were married, and then I

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got a raise for refereeing.

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I start, refereeing,

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open city league recreation

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basketball, and, I got a raise from a

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dollar twenty five cents a game to, five

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dollars a game.

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Oh. So I was in I was in

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seven heaven.

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Five times more money. You got it in.

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I would work three games,

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three games a night,

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three times a week. Shit.

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It had nineteen,

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seventy four. That was pretty good money. You

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know, a good nice supplement. You know? Yeah.

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Absolutely.

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And from that point,

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It just happened,

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at the same time.

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I was back at SAW working on my,

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my master's

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in education

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to become an administrator.

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I got that. I was very fortunate to

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have had,

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a great mentor,

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in the superintendent.

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Who took me on his wings,

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this young,

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African American kid, and,

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and, I went into administration a very young

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age. Okay. Yeah. And,

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I'll tell you, Brett of the forty years.

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I spent in,

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education

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thirty seven of those years were actually in

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administration. Oh my goodness. So I had a

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lot I had a lot of opportunities

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to screw it up and make mistakes. Exactly.

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Exactly.

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