Yogi Berra once said, “Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.” And nobody knew that better than former Blue Valley Recreation Commission (BVRC) Rufus Nye.
Nye passed away last year and his family established the Rufus L. Nye-Umpire Equipment Program in his memory so cost will not be a barrier to calling balls and strikes. Funds donated by Nye’s family will be used to purchase umpire equipment (masks, chest protectors, leg guards, indicators, and equipment bags) for use by Blue Valley Rec umpires.
As a youth, Nye found joy in the game of baseball and his love of the sport extended to all aspects of the game. He played a mean third base in his youth, worked as an umpire in the summers, and had an encyclopedic knowledge of the game. A testament to Nye’s sense of humor and love of the game, he used to joke that he made it a practice to eject someone during the first game he worked to make sure no one gave him any guff the rest of the season.
“The Nye family felt the Umpire Equipment Program would receive Rufus’ support,” said Blue Valley Rec Executive Director Steve Baysinger. “The RLN-UEP will help new umpires get started without needing to sink their entire earnings into equipment. There is a national shortage of new officials; Blue Valley Rec and the Nye family are hopeful the program will ease one hurdle locally of getting started in officiating.”
Nye retired from public service in 2005 and promptly gave back to the communities in which he lived. He volunteered as a Blue Valley Rec commissioner for 10 years (2006 -2015) where his experience with municipalities was valuable. For his leadership, he was honored by the Kansas Recreation & Park Association (KRPA) in 2017 as a Distinguished Commissioner.