Mildred Ball
Mildred Ball Women’s Official of the Year (Complete Historical Listing Below)
High School: Gary Roosevelt 1953
College: INDIANA UNIVERSITY 1960
Inducted into the Hall of Fame 1998
IBCA/MILDRED BALL AWARD
Mildred Morgan Ball served as an IHSAA assistant commissioner from 1977 through 1997, responsible for the licensing and training of contest officials. In addition, she worked with the National Federation of State High School Associations’ rules committee. Ball is a 1953 graduate of Gary Roosevelt High School and a 1960 graduate of Indiana University. She was a teacher at East Chicago Washington High School before joining the IHSAA staff. She was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. The IBCA has presented an award to an outstanding basketball official in Mildred Ball’s name since 1997.
2026 IBCA Mildred Ball Award
Congratulations to the Mildred Ball Award Winner: David Pillar
David Pillar of Danville is the winner of the 2026 IBCA Mildred Ball Award.
Pillar is in his 27th year as a licensed official but he started earlier while an Indiana University men’s basketball student manager by calling IU scrimmages for coach Bob Knight and intramural games in the HPER Building.
Since becoming a high school official in 2000, Pillar has called 20 sectionals, 14 regionals, eight semi-states and four State Finals in girls’ basketball. His girls’ title games were 2012 (4A), 2015 (3A), 2018 (3A) and 2023 (4A). In boys’ basketball, he has worked 21 sectionals, 15 regionals, eight semi-states (with a ninth scheduled this weekend) and four State Finals. His boys’ title games were 2012 (2A), 2015 (1A), 2019 (3A) and 2023 (1A).
In addition, Pillar has called games six times in the annual Hall of Fame Classic – 2009 boys’ first round 2010 girls’ final, 2011 girls’ first round, 2012 boys’ final, 2017 boys’ first round and 2024 boys’ first round. He also has worked softball for several seasons, including a few softball sectionals.
A current member of the Fall Creek Officials Association and a 22-year past member of the Mid State Officials Association, Pillar served the MSOA as its basketball chairman from 2003-13 and as an at-large member of its board. He also has served the IHSAA as a basketball clinician for more than 20 years.
Pillar was named the IHSAA Girls’ Basketball Official of the Year in 2015, and he has served as the official scorekeeper for IU men’s basketball games for 27 seasons.
A 1997 graduate of Toronto High School in Toronto, Ohio, Pillar competed in basketball, golf and track & field, winning a conference championship in the high jump as a junior. He matriculated to IU, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education in 2001, serving as a student manager for Knight for three seasons and coach Mike Davis for one season.
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