Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

Alma Mater: Monessen | Sports: Basketball, Baseball, Football

Tyburski was a three-sport athlete at Monessen who climbed up the officiating ladder to become a veteran of WPIAL championships and a mainstay on the NCAA Division I basketball scene. He was introduced to officiating by his uncle, the late Walt Malinchak, a well-respected NCAA Division I football official. Tyburski traveled with his uncle to games at Notre Dame, Navy, and elsewhere, road trips that convinced him that he too wanted to become an official. Tyburski started his officiating career working recreational league basketball games for free at the Monessen Civic Center in the 1980s. Once he took his test to become a certified PIAA official in 1987, he started working basketball, football, and baseball games around the WPIAL. His resume includes 14 WPIAL championship games with six in basketball, five in baseball, and three in football. He also worked two PIAA basketball championships and one state baseball final. His work at camps and clinics first opened the door to officiate at the Division I college level in 1993. Again, he worked all three sports before narrowing his scope to basketball in the early 2000s. He has officiated major college men’s basketball for nearly three decades including the NCAA, NIT, CBI, CIT, the Maui Invitational Tournament, and conference championships. He has worked games in 15 Division I conferences including the Big East, ACC, and Big Ten. He also officiated eight years internationally, including the World Championships in Bangkok, Thailand. He has received the Bill Christy Memorial “Excellence in Officiating” Award and is a CBOA John Nucatola Award recipient. He also is a co-coordinator with Elite Basketball Officiating which assigns games for 114 small colleges. Yet, Tyburski remains connected to WPIAL sports. He is the Coordinator of Basketball Officials for the Big 56 Conference, which includes the largest schools in the WPIAL.