Catching Up With: Norm Borucki

Steve Virgen

Family matters for Norm Borucki.

He’ll admit he’s getting up there in age and he doesn’t like to talk

about that. He has many years behind him, so many wonderful memories from

coaching football, baseball and softball at Laguna Beach High and

officiating college basketball games, including 10 NCAA Tournaments.

So he’s old. You won’t see a withered man when Borucki talks of his

family.

“They’re first and foremost,” Borucki, who did not want to disclose

his age, said of his five grandchildren. “I’d rather watch them play ball

than watch movies or whatever old people do. I don’t play on computers or

anything like that.”

Lauren, who will be a freshman at Dana Hills High, 9-year-old Allison,

8-year-old Katherine, 6-year-old Cameron and 4-year-old Emily have

breathed new life into Grandpa Borucki.

Borucki, pronounced Buh-rewkie, makes his rounds from soccer to

softball. He was Lauren’s pitching coach when she was a fourth-grader and

up until she was in the seventh grade.

“I think she’s going to be a fine player,” Borucki said. “I spend most

of my time watching her in my beach chair. I like being there. All my

years, I’ve been a coach or a referee, so it’s nice to be a spectator.

Watching them is the highlight of my life.”

When Borucki is not watching his grandchildren, he’s coaching or

officiating.

He’s Sage Hill High’s softball coach, with a year already under his

belt.

“Retired,” has no meaning in his life. Borucki will work as a referee

of high school football games this season, working mostly south Orange

County games.

And when college basketball season rolls around, Borucki will take to

the whistle and work the back-pedal. He’ll officiate Big West conference

games and other college games.

He continues to coach and officiate to fill the need for a challenge

in his life. When asked which profession posed a bigger challenge, he, in

a rare moment, was stumped.

“I’ll be very honest,” said Borucki, who has lived in Laguna Beach

since 1962. “Both of them are very challenging. Officiating takes a lot

of focus. The more experience, the better you are. In coaching you’re

dealing with many personalities, sometimes 15 different kinds of kids.”

“I’m a lucky guy,” he continued. “I’ve been a referee for 32 years.

Here I am, I work as a ref for NCAA games and then I’m coaching great

kids, it doesn’t get any better than that. I’m in the latter stages with

the officiating. It was a good ride. Not too many people hang around as

much as I have.”

Borucki maintains his health by being an avid cycler. He rides daily

and he also plays beach volleyball.

“I’m at the beach just about every day,” he said. “I’m a permanent at

Three Arch Bay, working out in the weight room. I like to do things that

are fun.”

Borucki also enjoys keeping in touch with friends from the past. He

still maintains a special relationship with Hal Akins, who was the head

coach at Laguna Beach and Borucki worked as his assistant.

Akins lives in Spokane, Wash. and continues to thrive as an artist.

“He’s an artist, literally,” Borucki said. “He’s still one of my

closest friends. He’s such a great man. If you had kids you would want

them to be involved with Hal Akins.”

Borucki continues to be involved with his grandchildren. He’s also

focused on completing the best job possible when officiating and

coaching. And just how long will Borucki continue to work?

Said Borucki: “As long as I’m having fun and enjoying it, I’m just

going to keep doing it.”