Ricky Underwood was a multi-sport athlete growing up in Indiana, but the past 30 years have seen him make his mark on the hardwood as a basketball official.

Born in September 1960 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Underwood graduated from Snider High School in 1979 where he played football and basketball and ran track. He served in the Army from 1983-92, and it that experience led him around the world (including to the Puget Sound) and into the basketball officiating ranks.

Underwood received rookie official of the year in basketball and football in 1989 while serving at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, and he's been working basketball games ever since. He joined the Tacoma Basketball Board in 1993 and has officiated local high school and college basketball games, including numerous state tournament contests.