John Weiland
Basketball Builder - Inducted 2004
John Weiland is regarded as one of the best-ever basketball officials in Canada and is a true builder of the sport. He officiated at the international level for over twenty years and represented Canada at numerous international events. John refereed the Canadian University Finals seventeen times, the University Worlds Championships four times, the World Championships, the Pan Am Games, the European Championships, and the 1988 Seoul Olympics. During his career, he also officiated professionally for seven years in the World Basketball League.
John is considered to be one of the very elite international referees by both his peers and the Federation of International Basketball Officials. His success was due to his personal integrity, his high level of competence on the court, and his superb understanding of the laws of the game and their application. John was firm, fair, and friendly and demonstrated superior game management skills.
John’s talent as a basketball referee has been recognized by others. He has received the Basketball Canada J.A. Wilcox Award, the Air Canada Amateur Sports Official Award in 1988, and honoured by the Calgary Booster Club in 1988 as a respected leader.
An injury took John Weiland out of the direct line of refereeing but he continues to give back to the sport as an active educator for Canadian Officials.
After Induction
John was the recipient of the Ted Earley Award in 2015. In 2019, Basketball Canada named John as one of their inductees into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame. John has been involved in basketball for almost 60 years. As a national referee coach, John has continued to develop officials and the game of basketball.
2004 – Alberta Sports Hall of Fame & Museum
2015 – Recipient of the Ted Earley Award
2019 – Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame (Official)