Chris Kaufman's officiating philosophy had greater complexity, but the basic tenet was consistency.
 
Whether working a game in a relatively empty junior high gymnasium or officiating a state championship football game on a sun-splashed November Saturday, Kaufman's belief was that enthusiasm and effort shouldn't waver.

(KSHSAA Hall of Fame Video for Chris Kaufman)
 
It was a message Kaufman's son, John, learned early in his own officiating career more than two decades ago. And it was one that was put to the test Saturday evening before the Class 6A boys state championship basketball game at Wichita State's Koch Arena.
 
"Anytime you're working a boys state championship game, that brings enough emotion and nerves into it on its own," John Kaufman said. "Then you're at an amazing celebration for someone who obviously means the world to me, and it added a whole other level of nervousness."

 
Chris Kaufman, a Winfield native, spent 40 years officiating basketball, football and baseball around south central Kansas and on the state's biggest stages. He also served as a Kansas State High School Activities Association area supervisor for 20 years and as South Central Border League commissioner for 14 years.
 
Kaufman died in March 2016 at age 61, shortly after his diagnosis with a rare, inoperable brain tumor.
 
On Saturday, moments before John officiated the title game between Shawnee Mission Northwest and Wichita Heights, he received a plaque from KSHSAA executive director Bill Faflick commemorating Chris' posthumous induction into the KSHSAA Hall of Fame.
 
More than 20 of Kaufman's family members were on hand for the pregame ceremony, which included a video presentation highlighting Chris' service. A veteran of 22 state football championships, 24 state basketball tournaments and 46 state baseball tournaments, Chris was a two-time official of the year in Kansas and in 2006 was recognized with the National Federation of High Schools Active Official Award, presented annually to one official across the country.
 
"Probably the biggest thing you knew when Chris came out on the court was that first of all you could talk to him and second, he was going to be fair," said Fran Martin, a retired KSHSAA administrator and fellow member of the 2024 KSHSAA Hall of Fame class who coached games officiated by Kaufman during her time at El Dorado High School. "I didn't ever feel like as a coach that, 'Oh, we've got Chris Kaufman tonight. We're going to let this happen.'
 
"As a coach, you want an official that you feel like, 'Hey, if I have a question, I can ask it.' I'm sure I asked him not in the kindest of ways sometimes, but he was always professional about it. Sometimes he'd have a little one-liner to come back at you with, and I don't know if it was to put you in your place or whatever, but as an official those were the things I would say come to the forefront."
 
John Kaufman, Winfield's athletic director, gravitated toward officiating after watching Chris work games courtside while growing up. He remembers traveling with his dad to "old-school City League" basketball games, when current Kapaun Mt. Carmel coach Steve Eck built a dynasty at Wichita South.
 
Chris helped John get into officiating when John was in college, and the younger Kaufman quickly came to understand what his dad believed to be most important.
 
"The people that he knew, the relationships that he built – everything that he ever told me was it's 80% or more of what you do off the court, 20% of what you do on the court," John Kaufman said. "He always taught me with all the ADs, all the coaches, people who are escorting you or bringing you water – whatever it is – you develop a relationship, you're positive, you always act like you want to be there, you have good body language, you say please and thank you.
 
"All of that stuff really resonated for me. When I was younger, I was like, 'No, it's really about how good of an official you are.' But no, just interacting with as many administrators, ADs and coaches that you do, it really is kind of a game within a game. You develop your relationships and they put their trust in you. The next thing you know, you make one of those marginal calls, but they put their trust in you. That's the most important thing that he really taught me."
 
Kaufman's impact extended far beyond family. John said Chris helped with the recruitment and development of 30-40 officials from the Winfield area, many of whom worked their way from local middle school and junior varsity-level assignments up to state tournaments.
 
John worked on Chris' football officiating crew. On rare occasions, Chris, John and Chris' brother, David, officiated basketball games together.
 
"He was really proud of the relationships," John Kaufman said. "There are a lot of people who are tied back to him in either getting them started, getting them games, getting them into a clinic or helping them through the assigning process."
 
Chris Kaufman used that servant style of leadership in his daily vocation. After owning Kaufman Sporting Goods with his brother, David, who also officiated, Chris became the rehabilitation programs director at Winfield Correctional Facility, where he worked for more than 25 years.
 
During his time in that role, he would take groups of inmates to speak at area schools before funding limited those opportunities.
 
"That was super impactful," John Kaufman said. "When you get a group of kids locked in and listening to people who have been through that experience and what it's like if you make the wrong decisions, it leaves an imprint."
 
As a KSHSAA assistant executive director, Martin's role as an advocate for the state's officials frequently included working alongside Kaufman, who served as an area supervisor for multiple sports. She said the qualities that served him well on the fields and court allowed him to flourish in his advisory role.
 
"It didn't matter what the sport was and it didn't matter what level it was, it was important to Chris to be able to give it his best," Martin said. "He worked hard at trying to find newer people – not always younger – but newer people who might have a knack for officiating. He could nurture them through his work with his league."
 
During Chris Kaufman's illness, John took over his duties as SCBL commissioner on an interim basis, and continues in that role today. He also serves as a KSHSAA area supervisor for officials in Butler, Cowley, Sedgwick and Sumner counties.
 
"I know it was overly important for him to keep the momentum going," John Kaufman said. "The games have given so much to us officiating. He always said as much as it's given to us, you ought to give back.
 
"So I always try at my area supervisor meetings and my clinics to make myself available. 'Here's my email, here's my cell phone, call me with any questions.' Do whatever you can to get people involved. And once you get them, you can't stop. You've really kind of need to guide them along the way. If you just turn them loose, they're not going to last very long."
 
For four decades, athletes in what is now the Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail, Greater Wichita and South Central Border leagues competed regularly under Chris' watch. Another Kaufman was on the Koch Arena court Saturday, achieving what a large majority of officials set out to do – to hardly be noticed in an action-packed game.
 
"Every time I go out to work a game in any sport, he's on my mind," John Kaufman said. "I think about him every day. I try to model what he did. I really try to reflect his positive attitude.
 
"Sometimes if you're working a football or baseball game and the weather is terrible or you know you're going to have a very lopsided matchup, it's easy to not get motivated. But I always felt like his attitude and his effort was very consistent. We were there to please the people, do a job and treat the kids right."