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Rodney Miller has umpired countless high school softball games in his nearly three-decade career.
The one on June 13, 2026, will hold a place in the mind of the highly-respected official for a long time for what took place following it.
Miller passed out shortly after working the Class 2A state championship game that evening in Bittinger Stadium on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette.
Miller, who had a defibrillator put in in March of 2025, was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he stayed until June 16. Miller underwent a series of tests while in the hospital before it was determined that his heart did have an event, triggering his defibrillator.
More: Penn's Logan Rumble is the Tribune's Softball Player of the Year
"The ER doctor told me that without the defibrillator kicking in that we would not have been having a conversation," said Miller in a phone interview on June 22. "I remember taking like four steps to cross the street and then getting really dizzy and blacking out.
"Oh yes, it scared me. It's baffling. I had no pain at all. No chest pains prior to it. I heard them saying my name and I came to and I was like, 'What just happened?'"
Miller was at the state finals with fellow umpires Roger and Anne Griffith and Dale and Janice Jasinski-Beck. Roger Griffith had worked the Class 3A state championship contest on Friday, June 12. Miller was in attendance at the yearly meeting of the St. Joseph Valley Officials' Association in South Bend the night he was released from the hospital.
"I know it was hot and I was hungry because I had not eaten since 2 p.m. that day," Miller recalled. "I remember having a Pay Day candy bar in my pocket and eating it in the ambulance going to the hospital."
Miller, who will turn 68 on July 8, had triple bypass surgery in 2005. His father died at age 50 from a heart attack when Miller was 21.
"I'm kind of nervous now because I would like to know what caused it," Miller remarked of his blackout. "I'm just in a holding pattern right now."
Former South Bend LaSalle and South Bend Adams softball coach John "Woody" Woodruff has a long history with Miller.
"Rodney is a guy who has always been willing to learn and always go out of his way to better himself as an umpire," said Woodruff, now an assistant coach with the Mishawaka Marian softball program. "He's always willing to talk with you about calls and about situations on the field.
"Rodney is willing to go out of his way too for the better of the game. He wants the players to understand the game and the rules."
Miller grew up in Peru, Indiana, before joining the Marines. He played fast pitch softball as a teenager and then started umpiring fast pitch in the early 1990's. He began umpiring high school softball in 1997.
"I was one of those players who complained about the umpires when I played, and then someone told me to try it and I did," recounted Miller with a chuckle. "But I just love the game. I just got better the more games I worked and I still try to listen to people and keep getting better."
Miller worked his sixth state finals during the 2A title game which saw Tecumseh defeat Western Boone 7-2. He has also refereed unified flag football for the past six years among area high schools. He had both of his knees replaced, one in 2008 and the other in 2018, and dealt with plantar fasciitis this past season that limited his mobility.
The entertaining Woodruff, always known to have a story or two, shared one of his favorite calls by Miller during a game years ago.
"I was coaching at LaSalle, and there was a play at the plate and Rodney told our player to show him the ball," recounted Woodruff. "Our girl picked up the ball off the ground and showed it to Rodney, who then called their player safe. I came out and got all over him about saying show me the ball. He didn't say she had to have caught it."
Miller is scheduled to see his cardiologist June 29 to see what the next step is. Medication or possibly surgery are both options at this point.
"Every year I talk about retiring," Miller said. "But I will wait and see what they tell me and go from there. I've already got games scheduled for next year and the year after that, but we will see.
"I just know that umpiring keeps me going."
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Rodney Miller is hoping to get answers after a recent health scare
Continue reading...
The one on June 13, 2026, will hold a place in the mind of the highly-respected official for a long time for what took place following it.
Miller passed out shortly after working the Class 2A state championship game that evening in Bittinger Stadium on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette.
Miller, who had a defibrillator put in in March of 2025, was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he stayed until June 16. Miller underwent a series of tests while in the hospital before it was determined that his heart did have an event, triggering his defibrillator.
More: Penn's Logan Rumble is the Tribune's Softball Player of the Year
"The ER doctor told me that without the defibrillator kicking in that we would not have been having a conversation," said Miller in a phone interview on June 22. "I remember taking like four steps to cross the street and then getting really dizzy and blacking out.
"Oh yes, it scared me. It's baffling. I had no pain at all. No chest pains prior to it. I heard them saying my name and I came to and I was like, 'What just happened?'"
Miller was at the state finals with fellow umpires Roger and Anne Griffith and Dale and Janice Jasinski-Beck. Roger Griffith had worked the Class 3A state championship contest on Friday, June 12. Miller was in attendance at the yearly meeting of the St. Joseph Valley Officials' Association in South Bend the night he was released from the hospital.
"I know it was hot and I was hungry because I had not eaten since 2 p.m. that day," Miller recalled. "I remember having a Pay Day candy bar in my pocket and eating it in the ambulance going to the hospital."
Miller, who will turn 68 on July 8, had triple bypass surgery in 2005. His father died at age 50 from a heart attack when Miller was 21.
"I'm kind of nervous now because I would like to know what caused it," Miller remarked of his blackout. "I'm just in a holding pattern right now."
Former South Bend LaSalle and South Bend Adams softball coach John "Woody" Woodruff has a long history with Miller.
"Rodney is a guy who has always been willing to learn and always go out of his way to better himself as an umpire," said Woodruff, now an assistant coach with the Mishawaka Marian softball program. "He's always willing to talk with you about calls and about situations on the field.
"Rodney is willing to go out of his way too for the better of the game. He wants the players to understand the game and the rules."
Miller grew up in Peru, Indiana, before joining the Marines. He played fast pitch softball as a teenager and then started umpiring fast pitch in the early 1990's. He began umpiring high school softball in 1997.
"I was one of those players who complained about the umpires when I played, and then someone told me to try it and I did," recounted Miller with a chuckle. "But I just love the game. I just got better the more games I worked and I still try to listen to people and keep getting better."
Miller worked his sixth state finals during the 2A title game which saw Tecumseh defeat Western Boone 7-2. He has also refereed unified flag football for the past six years among area high schools. He had both of his knees replaced, one in 2008 and the other in 2018, and dealt with plantar fasciitis this past season that limited his mobility.
The entertaining Woodruff, always known to have a story or two, shared one of his favorite calls by Miller during a game years ago.
"I was coaching at LaSalle, and there was a play at the plate and Rodney told our player to show him the ball," recounted Woodruff. "Our girl picked up the ball off the ground and showed it to Rodney, who then called their player safe. I came out and got all over him about saying show me the ball. He didn't say she had to have caught it."
Miller is scheduled to see his cardiologist June 29 to see what the next step is. Medication or possibly surgery are both options at this point.
"Every year I talk about retiring," Miller said. "But I will wait and see what they tell me and go from there. I've already got games scheduled for next year and the year after that, but we will see.
"I just know that umpiring keeps me going."
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Rodney Miller is hoping to get answers after a recent health scare
Continue reading...
