Ian started umpiring at Lambrick Park, becoming a member of the B.C. Baseball Umpires Association (BCBUA) and Baseball Canada nationally certified. In 1988, Ian first attended the Joe Brinkman Umpire School in Florida but was unable to get a US work visa. He later won the Ken Van Hatten Memorial Scholarship for Umpires, was top graduate at Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring, and again attended the Umpire Development Program in Florida and was a top six graduate.

Ian worked the Northwest, California, Texas, Arizona Instructional and Pacific Coast Leagues, plus Hawaii, Arizona and Dominican seasonal leagues. In 1998-99, he became the first Canadian in many years to work the Majors as part of the National Baseball League’s umpire staff.

Leaving the Majors in 2002, Ian spent a year as Supervisor and also umpired the professional Canadian and Chinese Leagues before retiring in 2007.

In 2002, BC Minor Baseball and BCBUA founded the Ian Lamplugh Award to recognize the top umpire prospect in BC and, in 2010, Ian was the inaugural inductee into BCBUA’s Hall of Fame.

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