Joe Campbell | 2020 George J. Fisher Leader in Volleyball

From the first time he stepped on the volleyball referee stand in 1979, Joe Campbell has loved the game. And that is from a football and baseball fan growing up never having followed volleyball until Japanese strangers asked him to try the sport in 1979 while in the U.S. Air Force serving in Japan. His volleyball story began to write itself over the next 40 years.

Joe’s military career would take him from Japan to Las Vegas to Conroe and San Antonio, Texas, and Korea, and at each assignment he continued to referee matches without formally being certified for 10 years.

Joe finally earned his USA Volleyball provisional referee rating in 1990, followed by regional referee in 1992, junior national referee in 1995, national referee in 1999 and national scorer in 2000. He has served as head referee for various events along the way. Since 2010, Joe has been a member of the USA Volleyball Rules Commission along with the USA Volleyball International Officials Advisory Commission in 2018.

Joe has also been president and vice president of the SEC Officials Association from 2010-2013. He has officiated four Texas State Volleyball Championships, along with three NCAA Division I Rounds 1 and 2.

Joe also held a passion for sitting volleyball and was an international referee from 1992 to 2014 for what is now World ParaVolley. He served as the organization’s referee commissioner from 1994 to 2012 where he was responsible for the recruitment, training and official assignments in the Pan American zone. Joe, who has been on the jury for the past two Paralympic Games and world championships, has held the role of president of World ParaVolley Pan America since 2012.

Joe has stepped up each time because he wanted to make a difference in the sport.