SI Vault Podcast: When Your Dream Dies: The tale of ref Kenny Wilcoxen

In this week's episode, host Ted Keith starts off the show by reading Rick Reilly's story, "When Your Dream Dies," from the December 26, 1994 issue of Sports Illustrated, chronicling the tale of high school referee Kenny Wilcoxen. In a heart-warming story that brings about memories of the movie It's a Wonderful Life, Reilly shares the story of the ghosts on the field—the referees.

The SI Vault Podcast takes you through sports history with a dive into the archives of Sports Illustrated. Host Ted Keith speaks with legendary athletes as well as the writers who produced some of the most memorable pieces in the magazine’s 61-year history, and every week will include a reading of a classic SIstory.

• MORE: Podcast: The Warriors against the '96 Bulls, Jordan stories, more​

In this week's episode, host Ted Keith starts off the show by reading Rick Reilly's story, "When Your Dream Dies," from the December 26, 1994 issue of Sports Illustrated, chronicling the tale of high school referee Kenny Wilcoxen. Through Wilcoxen's heart-warming story, that brings about memories of the movie It's a Wonderful Life, Reilly shares the what it's like for the ghosts on the field—the referees. Keith then interviews Reilly and talks about how he went about finding and reporting the story, which happens to be one of Reilly's favorites.

We love to hear our listener's thoughts. Please tweet our host at twitter.com/si_tedkeith. Subscribe to the SI Vault Podcast on iTunes here, and you can find more great Sports Illustrated podcasts at www.si.com/podcasts.