Local youth and high school coach Colin Scoggins was recounting in a requested social media post on his best memory of late noted Nashua Biddy Basketball referee Dave Mansor.

His girls Jr. Biddy team basketball team (usually ages 7-9) one year had enjoyed an undefeated season until it was stonewalled by a team nicknamed the Tigers in the city title game.

Mansor, who helped officiate the game, went over to offer some words of encouragement to a group of very disappointed basketball players.

“My girls were very upset at the end of the game,” Scoggins said. “It was a great game but we were outplayed, and at the end Dave was there consoling our girls.”

That’s just one of the reasons Mansor was a beloved referee in the Nashua Biddy league. Who likes the refs? Usually nobody.

That wasn’t the case with Mansor. And that’s why his recent passing due to complications from COVID-19 is the toughest local sports story of the spring.

“What a great guy, the best referee by far,” Scoggins said. “He was great with kids. His ability to ref a game within a game was better than anyone.”

The Nashua Park-Recreation Biddy League referee assigner, Bill Soubosky, had the rough task of letting the local youth sports community of Mansor’s passing, and mainly did it via social media, inviting all to leave tributes.

But here you go. The cancellations of the NHIAA winter tournaments and spring sports seasons for all the local high schools, coaches and student-athletes was one thing. It was tough but not unexpected.

This, however, the loss of a beloved youth sports figure in Nashua, hit home. It’s a jolt. Sports will eventually return, as will local youth basketball. But it will return without Mansor.

“If you grew up in Nashua, you most like crossed paths wth Dave Mansor on the basketball coach or baseball field,” said former Cubs minor leaguer and Nashua North baseball standout Brad Zapenas, who has been refereeing high school varsity basketball games the last few years. “The biggest thrill for me was refereeing with him for the first time after he refereed so many of my games growing up.”

He knew the tricks of the trade, and was true to the level he worked at. As an example, here’s what Scoggins meant by that was how instructive according to the level of player Mansor had been: Biddy games are separated by periods to allow different levels of play. Some games have five periods, and you normally have to have a unit for one period and a whole different set of players for another, and maybe a mix is allowed for another.

“First string he was a little tougher on his calls,” Scoggins wrote, “and by the time you got to the third string, he was giving a little more.”

Soubosky said there will likely be a move to name some type of award, etc. in the league – perhaps sportsmanship – in Mansor’s name.

“I don’t think the man ever had a bad day,” Scoggins said. “I never saw him without a smile on his face. … He was the epitomy of fair play. If the Nashua Biddy League ever deserved to be named after someone, I would name it after Dave Mansor.”

As one other observer, Gerry Gadbois, commented, Mansor “just didn’t make the calls, but taught the players how they should play the game” and called him “One of the best loved rec officials of this century.”

“He was the best,” Scoggins wrote, “and I will never forget him.”

An unforgettable local sports loss during a horrible time we will always remember.

Tom King may be reached at 594-1251,tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or@Telegraph _TomK.

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