Cross Country Builds Century-Long Run of Starts & Finishes
By
Ron Pesch
MHSAA historian
December 30, 2021
Conditions weren’t ideal in Ypsilanti on this November morning in 1950.
The track at Washtenaw Country Club was snow-covered. Strong, cold wind and sub-freezing temperatures greeted runners. As in years past, Michigan State Normal College (MSNC), today known as Eastern Michigan University, was playing host to the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s cross country championships.
According to preliminary Associated Press coverage of the meet, “Kalamazoo Central won the Class A state high school cross-country championship. Ann Arbor placed second. The races were held at (MSNC) over a two-mile course. Individual winners from the 23 schools competing in the Class A event were James Arnold of Battle Creek, first and James Bishop, of Kalamazoo, second.”
Alma emerged from a field of 24 schools as the victor of the Class B race. Lansing Everett finished first among 14 schools in Class C-D that afternoon.
But, unmentioned in initial coverage, there was a hitch in the Class A race that day. A total of 25 teams had entered the race – the first of the day. Due to a scheduling mishap, two teams - Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Battle Creek Central, both strong candidates to win the competition – had been “literally left standing at the starting gate.”
“Originally scheduled to get underway at 11:30,” stated the Grand Rapids Press in its evening coverage of the morning’s race, “the run actually started at 11:20. Catholic and Battle Creek squads were both on hand, but were not notified of the change in time.”
“It all happened when the Bearcats had taken their warmup trots and had 50 minutes to go before the Class A event was slated to get underway,” reported the Battle Creek Enquirer in coverage the following day. Told the event would start as scheduled at 11:30, the Bearcats sought warmth, before they “returned to the course at about 11:17 – just in time to see the Class A field go past.”
Like Battle Creek, Catholic had headed to the clubhouse before the race, returning to the course to discover the pack had left.
James Arnold of Battle Creek, one of the event’s top runners, quickly recognized what was happening, and “sauntered into the pack of 161 runners after the start …” noted the Enquirer, reporting the chaos.
“(The) runner was 50 or so more yards down the stretch when he noticed the swarm of thinclads romp by him,” stated the Press, adding color to the moment. “He quickly doffed his sweat suit and took pursuit. He was Jim Arnold, who incidentally, came in the winner.”
“So befuddled were the officials,” said the Enquirer, “that they let Arnold be crowned individual champion and gave him a time of 10 minutes and 45 seconds even though he didn’t get under way at the starting line. But the other Bearcat entries weren’t so fortunate and finished far back to place the Bearcats far down the list.”
“He should be given a lot of credit for his performance,” stated the Press, “but on the other hand, is he legally entitled to the honor? He didn’t run the regulation distance that the other boys covered?”
Immediately following, and in the days after the race, formal protests were lodged by various coaches with the MHSAA.
“It certainly was an injustice as far as Catholic’s Joe Host was concerned,” Grand Rapids Union coach Lowell Palmer told the Press. Host was the Class A individual winner in 1949 and was returning to defend his title. “It probably would have been his last prep meet, and he deserved a better fate.”
Harriers in the Great Lakes State
Readers interested in the sport’s entire history should make a dash for a copy of Jeff Hollobaugh’s book, XC! High School Cross Country In Michigan. At 270 pages in length, it “brings to life the traditions and memories of the most challenging of high school sports.” The author – or at least his voice – is well-known to many as the announcer at MHSAA cross country and track meets. For those with more than just a passing interest, he also maintains Michtrack.org, the place to go for everything running.
What was considered the first true State High School Track and Field Championships in Michigan was held in the spring of 1908 at Michigan Agricultural College (MAC), today known as Michigan State University (MSU). So, it should come as no surprise Michigan’s first planned prep cross country state title meet would be planned for the same place.
The desire to host a meet was, in all likelihood, self-centered. What better way to recruit future distance runners than to invite all the state’s best high school runners to an event hosted at your campus?
Chester L. Brewer, athletic director at the college, announced plans to host a state interscholastic cross country meet in East Lansing in the fall of 1921. According to author Mark E. Havitz, the first school ran its first cross country race in 1907. The University of Michigan, which had organized a cross country club in 1901 to train distance runners in track, began official varsity cross country competition with the 1919-20 school year.
An announcement in the Benton Harbor News Palladium in its Nov. 4 edition detailed the basics. “This meet, the first of its kind in the history of state athletics, is expected to bring together the best long distance runners in Michigan schools. The race will be over a three mile course, instead of the five miles to be run by college athletes … . Floyd Rowe, state director of physical education, will be in charge.”
The Bay City Times on Nov. 8 added detail.
The “chief aim is to develop cross country in the secondary schools of Michigan … . While several schools, such as Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Highland Park, Ypsilanti, and others are already strong in distance running, those in many other sections never go beyond the mile or possibly the two-mile in their track activities.”
Interestingly, Rowe also held another title, omitted from the announcements.
“Floyd Rowe, State Physical Training Director, will coach the (cross country) team this fall,” stated the Sept. 30, 1921, edition of the MAC. Record, a weekly published by the school’s alumni association. “Rowe, who is an old Michigan distance star, has had a lot of experience and should get the best out of his men. He is living at East Lansing at present.”
“The visiting lads will have an opportunity to witness Armistice Day ceremonies” scheduled at MAC for the November 11th meet. In addition, a trophy for the top five-man team was up for grabs along with 10 medals, one gold, one silver, and eight bronze for individuals.”
However, Mother Nature intervened, smothering those plans.
“Nineteen inches of snow which fell at East Lansing on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week blocked the college cross country course to such an extent that the First Annual M.A.C. High School Cross Country Run, scheduled for Friday, November 11 was indefinitely postponed,” stated a report in the Record, published on the 18th of that month. “While it is not likely that an attempt will be made to hold the run later this season, Director C. L. Brewer announces that the event will be held next fall and established as an annual event.”
Only, that didn’t happen.
Rather, the “first official state high school championship cross country run” – sanctioned by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association, the immediate predecessor to the modern-day MHSAA – was held at Michigan State Normal College in Ypsilanti in November 1922 on Armistice Day.
The meet, held under the direction of MSNC’s new coach and athletic director, Lloyd W. Olds, included 12 schools, including Battle Creek, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo, Central and Union from Grand Rapids, and numerous Detroit high schools.
Ann Arbor topped the field, finishing with 27 points to Detroit Northwestern’s 96, followed by Battle Creek at 101. Junior Oscar Kutschinski of Grand Rapids Central topped the field, covering the two and a half mile course at 13:28, trailed by Theodore Hornberger of Ann Arbor, “a distance of about 20 feet separating the pair,” according to Ann Arbor News coverage of the meet. (While the two never met, Kutschinski’s great-nephew, Ron, won the MHSAA’s 1963 Class B 880 running for East Grand Rapids, then claimed the Lower Peninsula individual cross country title in 1964. The winner of the Big Ten half-mile while at the University of Michigan, Ron also represented the U.S. at the 1968 Olympics.)
Competition for runners at the collegiate level in Michigan had been growing across the state. Michigan Normal had started its program in 1911 and, under the guidance of Coach Olds, the school’s track and cross country programs developed into national powers. Men's cross country became a championship sport in the fall of 1922 for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) – America’s oldest collegiate conference, formed in 1888. Kalamazoo College was that league’s first XC champion, topping MSNC (a member of the MIAA from 1892 until 1926), Albion, and Olivet.
The 1923 state meet at MSNC, run under muddy conditions, saw individual honors go to LeRoy Potter of Coldwater while the Ann Arbor team won its second consecutive title.
Ann Arbor picked up its third-straight team championship in 1924, earning “permanent possession of the M.S.N.C. trophy,” according to the Detroit Free Press. Ann Arbor High records show the school also claimed state titles for 1919, 1920, and 1921 as well, based on finishes in an annual Detroit Thanksgiving Day run. The school’s next team title wouldn’t arrive until 1987.
Potter “repeated and hung up another record, beating (his) old mark by 17 and 1/5 seconds,” to become the meet’s first two-time winner. “He led the group from the start, and finished with a strong sprint, being a full 500 yards ahead of the second man, Van Mere, of Kalamazoo. Donner of Ann Arbor was third.”
After graduation, Potter attended Michigan State Normal and became the school’s “first track performer to earn All-America status when he captured the mile run title at the 1928 NCAA Championships.”
The Ypsilanti meet continued without change when the MHSAA took charge of prep athletics in Michigan midway through the 1924-25 school year. To conclude the Fall 1925 season, Kalamazoo Central won the “hill and dale” gathering with five finishers in among the first 15, with Ann Arbor ending in second, 36 to 52. Detroit Northwestern finished in third with 61. Lloyd Cody from Ann Arbor “finished the two and a half mile grind in 11 minutes 52 5/10 seconds.” Van Mere of Kalamazoo again finished second.
Over 300 invitations were sent out to different schools for the 5th annual interscholastic run in 1926. A total of 18 teams competed with a field of 105 competitors. Kalamazoo repeated as champs, this time also supplying the individual winner, Raymond Swartz, who clocked in at 14:24.2 over the two and a half mile course. A total of 93 runners finished the race. A trophy that cost the Association $12 was presented to the winning team.
XC Above the Straits of Mackinac
The first cross country meet in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, according to the Escanaba Daily Press, was held in October of 1927 – “just before the Menominee-Escanaba football game” – with three schools, Iron Mountain, Manistique, and Escanaba, scheduled to participate.
“The state athletic association is very much in favor of cross-country running as a high school sport, and A. W. Thompson, state director of athletics has designated the race here as an official upper peninsula event,” added the Daily Press – the sponsor of the meet and donor of a trophy for the winning school. “He was pleased to learn that three schools would participate the first year and predicted that many more would enter runners in the years to follow.
“Cross-country has never been attempted in the peninsula, but high schools below the straits have been developing the sport rapidly.”
“Because Escanaba was the only school entering a full team, it was decided in fairness to the others, to award the trophy” to the school whose runner won the race. James Crummey, a junior and the only entry from Iron Mountain, won the event, “completing the 1 7/8 mile course in 11:35, far ahead of his nearest competitor,” Emmett Lough of Escanaba finished second, followed by two teammates, Tom Froberg, and Irv Cass.
The 1927 state competition at Ypsilanti, now with 27 teams, was split into Class A and Class B for the first time. According to the MHSAA’s January 1928 Bulletin, “a team trophy and 20 medals were awarded for each class.” Swartz of Kalamazoo again won the individual honor, now in Class A, leading his team to its third-straight team championship. All of Kalamazoo’s runners finished in the top 10, allowing the team to repeat as champion.
“After figuring for two hours,” noted the Grand Rapids Press, “the mathematicians decided Detroit Eastern had second and Pontiac third.”
For the first time, the U.P. had entries in a state title race, as Crummey of Iron Mountain and Oliver Cejka of Kingsford made the long trip downstate to compete in Class B.
Dearborn grabbed the ‘B’ team title. Earl Sonnenberg of Wyandotte Roosevelt earned the classification’s individual crown “after a two mile battle with Crummey,” noted the Press. Brown of Ferndale was third, while Cejka finished sixth.
With the solid showings, the U.P. beamed with pride.
The Sport Grows
The meet was expanded to three classifications with the addition of Class C in 1928. Kalamazoo, again, won the top honor in Class A, defeating Detroit Northwestern, 51-66. Jack Rutherford of Flint Central came away with the individual honor, with a time of 10:23, a “rather good time considering the snow-clad pathway,” noted the Bay City Times. Marcellus Barlage of Detroit Holy Redeemer took Class B in 10:46 while Tompledus (first name not available), Parma’s only runner, finished at 11:52 for the Class C honor. Roosevelt was the only team in the class “that returned five men to the starting or finish line.”
In 1929, the MHSAA reported 68 schools sponsoring XC teams. Because of the continued growth, for the first time, regional meets were hosted by the MHSAA that year, with seven taking place initially. Sonnenberg, who also won the Class B 880 track event in the spring, picked up his second harrier title come fall, this time in Class A for Wyandotte Roosevelt. He had finished second in ‘B’ in 1928 and would later compete for Western State Teachers’ College – today’s Western Michigan University.
The meet saw its first shared title in 1930, when Grand Rapids South, coached by Percy L. ‘Pop’ Churm, deadlocked with Alonzo Stoddard’s Kalamazoo Central squad, with 91 points each, to split honors in Class A. Missing from the South team was future President of the United States, Gerald Ford, who was not a distance runner, but rather one of the “weight men” on Churm’s South track team. The season also marked the first year in which the Detroit Public Schools didn’t compete due to their choice to withdraw from state competition.
In 1931, “Kalamazoo became state champs because they had a well-balanced team,” detailed the school’s yearbook, “in contrast to some teams who have one man who finishes first most of the time while there may be three or four others who finish far down in the standings. Gerald Roberts led the local thinclads to the tape in the State run, finishing sixth, but it was the mass formation of (Arnold) Baker, (Robert) Massey and (Randall) Swartz that brought home the trophy. This group finished 12th, 13th, and 14th respectively while (George) Vande Lester assured Central of the title by crossing the line 25th which is not at all bad considering that there were over 100 men entered.”
With the onset of the Depression, the annual state cross country finals were canceled due to finances, and teams ended their seasons with regional competitions in both 1932 and 1933. The championships disappeared again in 1942 due to World War II. They resumed in 1943. In 1944, the MHSAA sponsored its first split peninsula harrier championships, with Baraga winning their first of back-to-back Class C-D-E titles under Coach Evins Edward Erickson. Iron Mountain topped Escanaba, 15 to 44, in Class B. The 2-mile runs were hosted “between the halves” of the Escanaba-Iron Mountain football game in late October, according to the Escanaba Daily Press.
The Re-Running of the 1950 Class A Meet
“I am not positive we would have won it,” said Battle Creek coach Bob Mowerson, “but I feel sure we would at least have placed second, I’m going to call and tell the story to (Charles) Forsythe, (director of the MHSAA) but I feel little can be done now.”
Before the state final, Battle Creek Central had beaten Kalamazoo Central in three of four previous meets that year. The single defeat, a 28-27 win by the Maroon Giants, had come at home in a dual meet early in the season, hosted at Riverside Country Club. It marked the first dual dropped by the Bearcats in two years.
“Coach Ted Sowle of Catholic thought Battle Creek had too much depth for his team to beat,” stated the Press, “but was of the opinion that the two teams would finish one-two had they been allowed to participate.”
Dave Arnold, assistant state director of athletics, suggested that the meet be rerun the following weekend. Forsythe agreed but decided that since 21 of the 23 teams entered had completed the race, the results of the original run would stand.
“A new title, new set of trophies, and more expense mileage will be available for this second event. The race – a second Class A championship - was scheduled for the coming weekend, and scheduled for 10:30 again at Ypsilanti.
“Fleet-footed Bearcat ace Jim Arnold scampered across the finish line in the No. 1 position for the second week running, which gives him the distinction of having won top individual honors in the annual high school cross country championship event twice in one year,” noted the Enquirer with glee.
“Jim jumped into the race last week in 80th place, out ran the entire field, and finally sprinted into the winner’s spot in first place. His pace-making time of 10 minutes and 39.5 seconds in yesterday’s race bettered that of his first title run by 5.5 seconds on the same course.” The race-time temperature was 27 degrees.
Just 10 teams and 75 harriers entered the second running, as the results of the original race would still stand. With little to gain, Kalamazoo Central stayed away. Ann Arbor, second in the original race, returned.
“Arnold and Joe Host, Grand Rapids Catholic’s defending individual champion in the event, led the pack for the first half of the race,” added the Enquirer, “running side by side over frigid snow-covered track at Washtenaw golf course. The Bearcat ace pulled away at the three-quarter mark, however, and won going away. Host crossed the finish line in third place as an Ann Arbor harrier sped past him down the home stretch.”
Battle Creek Central won the event with 45 points. Ann Arbor, repeating its second-place performance, topped Catholic Central, which finished third, 69 points to 118.
The annual Lower Peninsula championships remained in Ypsilanti for another 20 years.
Changes
The U.P. championships continued to be hosted in October during football games, alternating between Escanaba and Iron Mountain and run during the annual Saturday contest between those two schools into the mid-1950s before moving to Marquette under management of Northern Michigan University.
In 1961, Detroit schools returned to statewide competition, and, suitably, the Lower Peninsula Class A team championship was won by Detroit Redford at Washtenaw Country Club. Redford’s Dick Sharkey, unbeaten in his 20 races as a junior and senior, finished first, outdistancing Detroit Cody’s Tony Mifsud by 50 yards. That year, the MHSAA added an All-Class individual race for runners “whose teams failed to qualify for the team event”, noted the Detroit Free Press. Tom Florida of Flint Southwestern was the race’s first winner. Individual runs were added to Class B In 1964, and to Class C-D in 1971.
According to Hollobaugh, heavy snow in 1966 caused a one-week delay in the running of the championships. It’s been the only weather-related postponement in the event’s history.
Five Decades of XC
The 1971 championship marked 50 years since the first run in Ypsilanti in 1922. Based on a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), 472 of Michigan’s high schools now sponsored boys cross country teams.
Tim Tobin of St. Joseph grabbed the Class A individual championship and led the Bears – the smallest of the ‘A’ schools based on enrollment – to its first-ever title, 97 to 120 over second-place Flint Kearsley. St. Joseph had previously finished second to Kearsley in both 1968 and 1970. Muskegon Catholic Central grabbed Class B, with Wyoming Lee earning Class C-D. In the U.P., Ishpeming won A-B and Pickford grabbed C-D, staged at Northern Michigan University in Marquette.
Dismal weather had dampened the L.P. meet, run on a newly laid-out 2½-mile course at Washtenaw Country Club, but the races still saw a crowd of “3,000 to 4,000 people” spread around the course according to MHSAA Executive Director Allen W. Bush.
Nevertheless, the gathering was the last of the long run of consecutive meets hosted by the university.
“In 1971, which is the last year that (they) ran at Washtenaw Country Club, I was at that meet,” recalled Jerry Myszkowski, who ran for coach Bob Parks at Eastern Michigan during its NCAA Division II and NAIA national championship season of 1970. “It was a deluge. It was raining cats and dogs and did not let up. Basically, the course was just a mess. There was standing water … every turn was all torn up.”
“A couple of years before the change, Parks was complaining that he was getting more pushback from members of Washtenaw Country Club about using the course. They were upset that we were going to take a whole day off and not play golf, et cetera, et cetera.”
More and more club members were coming in from beyond the county.
“Park’s statement was, he felt in the old days, most of these members were members of Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor, and Ypsilanti and they took civic pride in this thing,“ continued Myszkowski. “I’m sure that with all those spectators as well as runners, there was already some damage probably done on the course. With the rain, I think that was the last straw.”
Minutes from the May 1972 MHSAA Representative Council meeting indicate that the Association planned to make a change in direction for the coming fall.
“The following requests from the Cross Country Committee were reviewed at this meeting. It was decided that a single class final for cross country would be conducted at three different sites as recommended by the Coaches Association and the committee. Class A will be conducted by Detroit-Redford Union, Class B by Vicksburg High School, and Class C-D by Jackson-Vandercook Lake High School. The Upper Peninsula meet will be conducted at Northern Michigan University.”
“With a wet fall, you can really tear up a golf course with that many people on it,” said Rudy Godefroidt, who guided Breckenridge to a Class C title in 1976, then served as an official for three decades. “(The Association) knew that if they separated the meet, they would separate the number of individuals (watching the event).”
The 1972 season included one more additional change, as the distance run by prep XC athletes in Michigan was increased from 2½ to 3 miles.
An NFHS survey showed 42 Michigan schools sponsored cross country for girls during the 1975-76 school year. With the arrival of Title IX, MHSAA-sponsored Lower and Upper Peninsula Open Class girls state championship meets were added to the postseason mix in 1978. A year later, with 221 schools now sponsoring the sport for girls, the Association separated the girls finals into classifications. In 1980, the standard distance of a race moved to five kilometers (3.10686 miles).
Return to a Single Site
Dave Bork, a former cross country runner and later coach at Monroe High School, and past vice president of the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association, and Mike Woolsey, cross country and track coach at Jackson Lumen Christi and previous president of MITCA, “had been tossing around the possibility of having all schools compete again at a single location,” recalled the Monroe News in 2020. They investigated the possibility of using Michigan International Speedway as the site. “That was in 1994.”
“Fortunately, Woolsey lived in the same neighborhood as (former Jackson Citizen Patriot sports editor and) the public relations director for MIS, Tommy Cameron,” stated the Monroe paper. “Cameron liked the idea and asked then-MIS owner Roger Penske about it. Penske said yes, and then Bork and Woolsey went to work. The two formed an 11-member committee to lay the foundation for MIS to host the state meet.”
Of course, much had changed since 1972. Once the logistics were worked out, the MHSAA event made the move to Brooklyn for the Lower Peninsula meets starting in 1996. Instantly, the cross country championships became the single largest gathering of athletes in the history of the Association, with nearly 1,900 athletes from around 500 schools competing across eight runs – four for boys and four for girls. It was the first state meet in the country to use electric timing, even before any NCAA meet.
“MIS was not only developed as a high-banked, high-speed track for Indy Car and NASCAR events; located to the East of the racing oval was a car testing/road rally course of dips and turns and rolling landscape that two thirds of the race would actually take place on,” stated John Johnson, recently-retired communications director for the MHSAA. “The race would start on the infield before heading to the back course, and finish with the runners reentering the oval at Turn 3 and finishing on the grass skirt of the oval in front of the main grandstand.“
A 300-foot wide starting line also meant that separate team and individual races were no longer needed as the site could accommodate all the runners in a single race.
Still, logistical issues arose with timing the mass of runners, creating unforeseen problems at the first running at MIS
“As I like to say to this day – ‘We’re still waiting on the results of the 1996 Cross Country Finals,’” added Johnson.
MIS officials were concerned with allowing spectators on the course, and hence, all were forced to watch from the main grandstands.
“It wasn’t what they wanted,” stated Johnson.
But, with the efforts from MITCA, the MHSAA, and expanded flexibility from MIS owners and staff, the initial issues marring the event were soon worked out.
More Than 2 Decades Later ...
The Cross Country Finals have been hosted at the Speedway for 26 years. Like Ford Field in football or Breslin Center in basketball, it’s become a destination point that teams can target as their goal for the season.
“The kids themselves (have become) enthusiastic about having a place to call their own,” added Johnson. “The rolling Irish Hills (have produced) incredibly fast and competitive races, and the MIS facility (has) turned into a beehive of activity on race day with a rainbow of team tents and fans in an incredible atmosphere. Administratively, things (have) continued to get better every year.”
“I think we had close to 12,000 there this year at MIS” added Godefroidt. “If you try to put 10 or 12,000 on Washtenaw Country Club, there’s absolutely no way you could park everybody, there’s no way they all could see what they need to see.”
“The great side is everyone’s on the same course on the same day,” stated Kim Spalsbury, who coached boys and girls at Fowler and Grand Ledge over a 30-year span and has witnessed the event at MIS every year in some capacity. “From a coaching standpoint, you know the course, your kids have this institutional memory of the course because, if you have a good program or even if you just have had successful individuals, somebody on your team likely has been there before and experienced the race and can assure others of what it’s like. …That’s valuable to everybody to have that.
“And just from a historical perspective, the course might be a little different in terms of the conditions any given year; rain, cold … . It’s always tweaked a little bit here and there, but it’s essentially the same course and there’s all kinds of historical value in being able to compare times across generations now, you know, because we’re into a new generation since we started this in ‘96 down there.”
“What MIS does for us is just phenomenal, so it’s pretty hard to beat that site,” added Bork. “They are so professional there – the amenities that we have there that you wouldn’t have at any other place, it’s remarkable.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Special thanks to Chuck and Janet Janke, as well as those quoted in the article, for their assistance in telling the story.
Ron Pesch has taken an active role in researching the history of MHSAA events since 1985 and began writing for MHSAA Finals programs in 1986, adding additional features and "flashbacks" in 1992. He inherited the title of MHSAA historian from the late Dick Kishpaugh following the 1993-94 school year, and resides in Muskegon. Contact him at [email protected] with ideas for historical articles.
PHOTOS (Top) Contenders race during 1949 Finals at Washtenaw Country Club. (2) Jeff Hollobaugh’s book, XC! High School Cross Country In Michigan, is a detailed collection of the state’s cross country history. (3) Grand Rapids Central’s 1922 team featured Oscar Kutschinski, the first-place finisher in the state’s inaugural XC championships. (4) Ann Arbor’s 1924 championship team. (5) James Crummey of Iron Mountain. He would later run for the University of Wisconsin. (6) Fleet-footed Battle Creek Central ace Jim Arnold, two-time winner of the 1950 Class A XC meet. (7) Team photos of the 1971 XC champions. (8) Michigan International Speedway is the longtime home of the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Cross Country Finals. (Photos collected by Ron Pesch.)
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Livonia's Karabees-Betts Named 35th Vern L. Norris Award Honoree
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 15, 2025
Debby Karabees-Betts has dedicated more than 50 years to serving high school and middle school students, often in several roles simultaneously to provide opportunities to learn and compete both academically and athletically.
To celebrate especially her 30-plus years as a Michigan High School Athletic Association-registered game official and her immense impact on that community, Karabees-Betts will be honored with the 35th Vern L. Norris Leadership in Officiating Award during the MHSAA’s Officials Awards & Alumni Banquet on April 26 in East Lansing.
The Norris Award is presented annually to a veteran official who has been active in a local officials association, has mentored other officials, and has been involved in officials’ education. It is named for Vern L. Norris, who served as executive director of the MHSAA from 1978-86 and was well-respected by officials on the state and national levels. Karabees-Betts will be honored at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Center along with high school game officials with 20, 30, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 years of service.
She began her career in education in 1973 and spent the next 40 years as a teacher and later guidance counselor. Her contributions to school sports also began in 1973 with her first of what would become several coaching tenures. She became an MHSAA-registered official first during the late 1970s, then returned to officiating in 1990-91 – first in swimming and track & field, later adding volleyball and cross country – and has officiated a combined five MHSAA Finals – two each in volleyball and boys swimming & diving and one in girls swimming & diving.
But that covers only one area of her influence on statewide officiating. Also a collegiate volleyball line judge in the Big Ten Conference over the last 16 years, Karabees-Betts co-wrote the “Best Practices for Line Judges” protocol adhered to at MHSAA Finals and has been an MHSAA officials trainer in the sport since 2010. She has conducted more than 100 officiating and line judging clinics over the last two decades, mentored several school-aged officials as part of the MHSAA Legacy Program and spoken to numerous high school classes on the benefits of becoming an official.
“The (essence of) officiating is that you bring sportsmanship, safety and respect and love for the games,” said Karabees-Betts, who first met Vern Norris while officiating an MHSAA Finals at Eastern Michigan University. “I have so many former players’ children that I’m officiating now. … You want that knowledge to make sure they have the most fair playing field that you could possibly give them.
“It’s kind of a legacy of love for the sport, the participation in the sport, the growth and knowledge of the sport and safety of the sport – because throughout 50 years, the safety factor has increased in almost every sport.”
Karabees-Betts, who lives in Livonia but did the majority of her teaching and counseling at Taylor public schools, first stepped into educational athletics as a professional in 1973 when, as a first-year teacher, she also took on the head coaching positions at Taylor Truman for girls swimming, volleyball and track & field during the early years of those programs.
She made the former Inkster Cherry Hill High School a force in boys swimming & diving, coaching that program to 10 straight Tri-River League titles and a Lower Peninsula Class B-C-D runner-up finish in 1977 before that school closed in 1985. She was named Coach of the Year in that league multiple times for that sport and also girls track & field.
She also earned multiple Western Wayne Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors during a decade-long run at Taylor Center from 1986-96, where she led the boys cross country, swimming & diving and track & field programs. Karabees-Betts would later coach the Dearborn Divine Child volleyball team to a Catholic High School League title and take the Riverview Gabriel Richard girls basketball team on a long Class C Tournament run. She also coached at Taylor Kennedy and Garden City high schools and middle school swimming and cross country in the Taylor district.
Karabees-Betts moved on to coaching volleyball at Schoolcraft College, serving as an assistant coach for a decade through 2010 and helping that program reach the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament. She continued officiating MHSAA events during that time and became a collegiate volleyball official in 1996.
She has served as an officials observer at the MHSAA Volleyball Semifinals and Finals the last four seasons and also several more as the officials crew chief for that high-profile event. She served as board secretary and awards chairperson for the Michigan Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association from 1979-84 and has served as board secretary/treasurer for the Capital Area Association of Volleyball Officials since 2013.
“Debby Karabees-Betts has brought her expertise and dedication as an educator into the athletic classroom, especially as one of our state’s most respected and admired teaching officials and mentors in volleyball,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “Her work across several sports has had a far-reaching impact stretching decades and continuing to this day, and her approach not only to officiating, but to teaching and mentoring is admired across her several sports communities.”
Karabees-Betts graduated from Taylor Center High School in 1969. She earned her bachelor’s and education specialist degrees from Michigan State University in 1973, the former in physical education, health and recreation and the latter in exercise physiology and science. She later earned master’s degrees in educational guidance and counseling, and athletic administration, from Eastern Michigan University, and then her doctorate in education and guidance and counseling from EMU in 1990.
She has contributed to her community in several more ways, including as a member of the Taylor Jaycees organization and president of its women’s club where she participated in some of the many charity efforts she’s been part of locally. She served on the Taylor Schools and Community Council and volunteered as part of the district’s crisis team, organized a traveling theatre troupe that performed at local elementary schools and taught first-aid classes at the local community center. She also served as director for the Dearborn Heights summer recreation department’s track & field program.
Karabees-Betts has been honored several times for her service, including with 12 Golden Apple Awards from the Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency. She received the Michigan Exceptional Educator of the Year Award from EMU in 2003 and the Guidance Counselor of the Year Award from the Wayne County Intermediate School District in 2010.
She is married to husband Dennis, who also is an MHSAA-registered swimming & diving official and worked the Lower Peninsula Finals to conclude both the girls and boys seasons this school year. They have two daughters, Desiree McMahon and Lori Hall, and a son Greg Betts.
Previous recipients of the Norris Award
1992 – Ted Wilson, East Detroit
1993 – Fred Briggs, Burton
1994 – Joe Brodie, Flat Rock
1995 – Jim Massar, Flint
1996 – Jim Lamoreaux, St. Ignace
1997 – Ken Myllyla, Escanaba
1998 – Blake Hagman, Kalamazoo
1999 – Richard Kalahar, Jackson
2000 – Barb Beckett, Traverse City; Karl Newingham, Bay City
2001 – Herb Lipschultz, Kalamazoo
2002 – Robert Scholie, Hancock
2003 – Ron Nagy, Hazel Par
2004 – Carl Van Heck, Grand Rapids
2005 – Bruce Moss, Alma
2006 – Jeanne Skinner, Grand Rapids
2007 – Terry Wakeley, Grayling
2008 – Will Lynch, Honor
2009 – James Danhoff, Richland
2010 – John Juday Sr., Petoskey
2011 – Robert Williams, Redford
2012 – Lyle Berry, Rockford
2013 – Tom Minter, Okemos
2014 – Hugh R. Jewell, West Bloomfield
2015 – Sam Davis, Lansing
2016 – Linda Hoover, Marshall
2017 – Michael Gentry, Shelby Township
2018 – Jill Baker-Cooley, Big Rapids
2019 – David Buck, St. Joseph
2020 – Hugh Matson, Saginaw
2021 – Lewis Clingman, Grand Rapids
2022 – Pat Hayes, Birmingham
2023 – Chuck D. Walters, Jackson
2024 – Candace Cox, Quincy
High school game officials with 20, 30, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 years of service also will be honored at the Officials Awards & Alumni Banquet on April 26. Eight officials with 60 years of service will be honored, as will 15 with 55 years of service, 70 with 50 years of service, 72 officials with 45 years and 90 officials with 40 years of service. A 30-year award will be presented to 164 officials, and 287 officials with 20 years of experience will be honored.
Also being honored during the Awards & Alumni Banquet is Legacy Program official Avery Beach, a senior at Mason High School who also is dually enrolled at Ferris State University. Beach carries a 3.96 grade-point average and is a member of both the National Honor Society and National Technical Honor Society as she plans to pursue a career in education. An all-state bowler and four-year varsity softball starter for the Bulldogs, Beach has officiated middle school volleyball as part of the Legacy Program, and also youth softball.
20, 30, 40, 45, 50, 55 & 60-YEAR OFFICIALS
The officials on this list are receiving their 20, 30, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60-year service awards.
20-YEAR OFFICIALS
Ada - Rick F. Hert
Allegan - Arthur K. Ziemelis
Allen Park - Kim A. Viculin
Alpena - John A. Anderson
Ann Arbor - Dennis J. Busse Jr.
Ann Arbor - Edward H. Rodenhouse
Ann Arbor - Shane J. Smith
Ann Arbor - Daniel H. Tarrant
Athens - Vergne C. Gregrich
Battle Creek - Cork Baker
Battle Creek - Harvey L. Glass
Battle Creek - April D. Hooker
Battle Creek - Nicholas C. Metheny
Battle Creek - Timothy J. Rizor
Battle Creek - Brenton T. Watkins
Battle Creek - Augie Zapata
Bay City - Josh A. Bauer
Bay City - David M. Bublitz
Bay City - Jeff A. Doan
Bay City - David M. Pietryga
Bay City - Dale E. Sneller II
Bay City - Jeff J. Zalucha
Bellaire - John F. Hanson
Belleville - Greg R. Reynolds
Belleville - Harold Rochon
Bellevue - Sarah M. VandenHeuvel
Berkley - Mark W. Steffens
Berkley - Mark R. Williams
Bloomfield - Thomas B. Wolford
Boyne City - Cindi L. Place
Bridgman - Robert S. Clark
Brighton - Scott D. Kelley
Brighton - Shanda Willis
Brownstown - Kenneth A. Stephens
Buchanan - Mark L. Soltys
Burton - Jamie S. Galant
Burton - Rojelio D. Lara
Byron Center - David M. Meltzer
Byron Center - Helga Roelofs
Byron Center - Timothy K. Smeby
Cadillac - William Anderson
Cadillac - Timothy L. Fekete
Caledonia - David M. Bommarito
Caledonia - Thomas J. Buist
Canton - Donald G. Dukes
Canton - Scott M. Shaw
Carney - Jeff C. Stage
Carsonville - Tom S. Nowotny
Charlotte - Jenny A. Granger
Chassell - James K. Tervo
Chesaning - John F. Ebenhoeh II
Chesterfield - Edmund J. Kordas
Clarkston - Thomas J. Giannaris
Clarkston - Ted S. Rozwadowski
Clinton Township - Christopher M. Catenaro
Clinton Township - David A. Clifton
Clinton Township - Bradley A. Jarson
Clinton Township - Robert T. Joyce
Clinton Township - Patricia J. Rigterink
Coldwater - Eric M. Anglin
Coldwater - William H. DeBeau
Coldwater - Chad A. Rakocy
Coleman - Jason F. Harper
Coloma - Jamie S. Riley
Commerce Township - Dennis A. Sartor
Concord - Kevin Herendeen
Corunna - Benjamin J. Hall
Corunna - Robert L. Hinojosa Jr.
Davison - Robert W. Myers
Davison - Wally Rose
Davison - Dana E. Rouse
Dearborn - John P. Satko
Detroit - Harold B. Bettie III
Detroit - Shawn A. Crawford
Detroit - Quincy R. Jones
Detroit - Warren Pettaway
Detroit - Lawrence E. Roberts
DeWitt - Randy L. Puffenberger
Dimondale - Dana M. Kirk
Dimondale - Scott E. McKimmy
Eastpointe - Brian A. Smith
Eau Claire - Ted R. Parker
Escanaba - Robert S. Johnson
Evart - Susan J. Guiney
Farmington Hills - Timothy E. Hay
Farmington Hills - Gary C. Maike
Fennville - Paul A. Marfia
Flint - Sims Johnson III
Flushing - Kenneth R. Tucker
Flushing - Roger L. Winfield Jr
Freeland - Sharon Sawyers
Gaylord - Douglas L. Curtis
Gaylord - David M. Johnson
Gaylord - Richard D. Marshall
Gladstone - Eric J. VanDamme
Gladwin - David P. Volk
Goodrich - Gaye L. TenBrink
Gowen - Casey N. Lake
Grand Blanc - Jerry L. Balogh
Grand Blanc - William N. Hoffmann
Grand Haven - Donald G. Verwey
Grand Ledge - Tim W. Bedford
Grand Rapids - Daniel C. Anderson
Grand Rapids - Greg James
Grand Rapids - Ryan P. Levitt
Grand Rapids - Jeffrey P. Simmons
Grand Rapids - Bert J. Smith
Grand Rapids - Cory D. Smith
Grand Rapids - Scott L. Stabler
Grand Rapids - Paul M. Wiercinski
Grand Rapids - Onesiphorus B. Burrel II
Grand Rapids - Johnny E. Davidson Sr.
Grandville - Douglas C. Diekman
Grandville - Natasha L. Phose
Grass Lake - James (Ed) E. Earley II
Greenville - Jeffrey Brown
Greenville - Andrew J. Krey
Grosse Ile - Christopher C. Vigh
Grosse Pointe - Brian A. Effinger
Grosse Pointe Farms - Larry A. Klimek
Grosse Pointe Woods - Thomas P. McCabe
Hamilton - Larry A. Meiste
Hamilton - Terry L. Perysian
Hancock - David C. Dow
Hancock - Jason J. Parker
Harper Woods - Mychael D. Foster
Hart - Brandon W. Bruce
Hartland - Roger T. Luck
Haslett - Deborah L. Traxinger
Highland - David E. Crow
Hillsdale - Lance E. Benzing
Hillsdale - Timothy J. Frosch
Holland - Douglas L. Bazan
Holland - Robert T. Carlson
Holly - Dave M. Thatcher
Holt - Jim E. Moreno Sr.
Holt - Jessie D. Read
Holton - Robert J. Stitt
Hudsonville - Arlyn J. Bohl
Hudsonville - Nathan Topie
Hudsonville - Roberto Ortega-Ramos
Interlochen - Gregory W. Allar
Iron Mountain - John L. Benzie
Ithaca - Rex L. Beracy
Jackson - James K. Haehnle
Jackson - Dale B. Lehman
Jackson - Corey C. McCave
Jenison - Chad J. Essebaggers
Jenison - Kip E. Haverdink
Jenison - James E. Krol
Jonesville - Eric P. Swihart
Kalamazoo - Michael A. Bailey
Kalamazoo - Patrick T. Cronin
Kalamazoo - Raynard A. Dunigan Jr.
Kalamazoo - Larry H. Ollie
Kalamazoo - David B. Saunders
Kalamazoo - Christopher A. Furlong
Kentwood - Glenn E. Ingram
Kentwood - Timmy D. Dickens
Kimball - Michael T. Roosen
Lake Orion - Brenton T. Bailo
Lakeview - Timothy A. Reed
Lansing - Jason R. Baley
Lansing - Steven L. Edgerly
Lansing - Melvin W. Eiland Sr.
Lansing - Robert W. Linman
Lansing - Roderick Turner
Livonia - John E. Eberhart
Livonia - Keith D. Riling
Macomb - Richard J. Moceri
Macomb - Jennifer L. Zacharzewski
Manchester - William T. Coggins
Manistique - John H. Ziemba
Marinette (Wis.) - Fred A. Furton
Marquette - Mark A. Petrie
Marshall - James R. DeBrabander
Marshall - Jon K. Morris
Mattawan - April C. Davenport
Mattawan - Mickey F. Peter
Mendon - Donald K. Koole III
Mendon - Donald K. Koole Jr.
Middleville - Joseph A. Broussard
Midland - Zachary A. Eagly
Midland - Mark E. Howison
Midland - Ian K. Lundquist
Midland - Kevin M. Nehil
Midland - Andy Reyes
Midland - Laurie A. Smith
Milan - Edward J. Marx Jr
Monroe - Steven A. Sowatsky
Monroe - Dale A. Stringham|
Moran - Gregg P. Fettig
Mt. Clemens - Kenneth Wynn
Mt. Morris - Shannon M. Smith
Mt. Pleasant - Cindy Verwey
Mt. Pleasant - James J. Waters
Muskegon - Troy A. Gardner
Muskegon - Gordon J. Hansen
Negaunee - Bobbi E. Ayotte
Negaunee - Mark A. Marana
Novi - Ned D. Harrington
Oak Park - Daniel Silva
Ontonagon - Allen A. Graham
Ortonville - Laurel M. Kobe
Oxford - Robert M. Kelly
Parchment - Thomas A. Jordan
Paw Paw - Barbara J. Alden
Paw Paw - George W. Kilts
Petoskey - Shane P. Brown
Petoskey - Paul D. Tunison
Pewamo - Michael A. Weber
Pickford - Rodney W. Priskorn
Plymouth - Greg W. Hames
Plymouth - Leslie S. English
Pontiac - Darris L. Finney
Pontiac - Trevor K. Williamson
Port Huron - Stephen F. Dusellier
Portage - Larry L. Allgaier
Portage - James P. Eichstaedt
Portage - Harley J. Franks
Ray - Jill M. White
Redford - Michael J. Laird
Riverview - Jason C. Gribble
Rochester Hills - Robert P. Bowery
Rochester Hills - Richard P. Burns
Rochester Hills - Kimberly A. Tobin
Rockford - Alex O. Briggs
Rockford - David M. Carattini
Rockford - Michael H. Jacobs
Rockford - John G. Mowat
Rockford - Seth D. Powell
Romulus - John C. Graham Sr.
Royal Oak - Paul M. Hayner
Royal Oak - Michael R. Pomroy
Rudyard - Tracy R. Peterson
Rudyard - Ron Vansloten
Saginaw - Brian W. Galsterer
Saginaw - Joel A. Keup
Saginaw - James J. Wood
Saline - William H. Kahn
Sandusky - Michael D. Dreyer
Saranac - Robert W. Simpson
Sears - Karen S. Ehl
Sheridan - Lorri A. Snyder
South Lyon - David Arvo
South Lyon - Amy E. Braun
Southfield - Berwyn Ellis
Southfield - Darcy A. Gitchuway
Southfield - Joseph L. Hamblin
Southfield - Justin M. Marshall
Southgate - Robert J. Tarabula
Spring Lake - Dennis R. Masson
St. Ignace - Denise E. Freed
St. Johns - Kevin P. Smith
St. Joseph - Robert Cultice
St. Clair Shores - Brandon A. Baetens
Sterling Heights - Russell P. Carl
Sterling Heights - Cliff T. Whiteside
Sturgis - Ron C. Abbs
Sturgis - Mark W. VanDosen
Swartz Creek - Mark W. Grantham
Sylvania (Ohio) - Andrew M. Dier
Taylor - Anthony Maffesoli
Temperance - Larry A. Nocella Jr.
Traverse City - Mike F. Wolf
Trenton - Brien R. Baeckeroot
Troy - Peter R. Bucheli
Troy - Thomas D. Jendrusch
Twin Lake - Douglas A. Prim
Union City - Daniel J. Hanna
Vassar - Mark Dowe
Warren - Daswell L. Campbell
West Bloomfield - Alan K. Murray
West Branch - Jeremy M. Bewley
West Olive - Steve J. Bazan
West Olive - Rich Johnson
Westland - Jeremy L. Jozefczak
Westland - Kenneth G. Smith
Westphalia - Kenneth J. Spitzley
Whitehall - Harold F. Schneider
Whitmore Lake - James F. Kreklau Jr.
Wyandotte - Dawn R. Manthei
Wyoming - Edward J. Howes
Wyoming - Andrew W. McKellar
Ypsilanti - Alexander M. Bade
Ypsilanti - David P. Lascewski
Zeeland - Justin S. Bazan
30-YEAR OFFICIALS
Ada - Christopher R. Becker
Allegan - Rick Lee
Allendale - Matthew R. Carlson
Allendale - Gregory D. VanderGoot
Alma - Kathleen A. Paul
Alpena - Mark S. Uekman
Ann Arbor - Eric D. Zemper
Baroda - Richard D. Albers
Baroda - Jerry T. Nitz
Bay City - Robert O. Huddleston
Bay City - Ronald L. Leahy
Belleville - Terry Landoski
Big Rapids - James N. Turner
Birmingham - Leon O. Braisted III
Bridgman - Dennis R. Ott
Brooklyn - Gary L. Schuch
Brownstown Township - Todd D. Skopczynski
Burton - Donald K. McCombs
Byron Center - Glennon W. Eckelkamp
Byron Center - John D. Philo
Byron Center - Jaime A. Pilbeam
Caledonia - Tina J. Hamp
Caledonia - Walter E. Van Wyngarden
Canton - Kenneth M. Letts
Canton - John J. Vichinsky Jr.
Carsonville - Roy D. Calahan
Charlevoix - Martin B. Seyfried
Cheboygan - Jason R. Friday
Chelsea - Keith M. DePaoli
Clawson - Rene C. Brooks
Coopersville - Joseph E. Meerman
Coopersville - Lynn K. VanSickle
Detroit - Donta Favors
Detroit - Joseph R. Flowers Jr.
Detroit - Jo Ann Jones
Detroit - Lawrence W. Miller
Dexter - Douglas A. Kelly
Dorr - Randy Kasper
Dowagiac - Scott E. Wiltse
East Lansing - David M. Hallman
East Lansing - Theresa S. Shepard
East Tawas - Joseph M. Cano Jr.
Eaton Rapids - Joe H. Dixon Jr
Eau Claire - Dennis F. Ostyn
Ecorse - James I. Cooley
Escanaba - John F. Ziemba
Farmington Hills - Diane M. Klucka
Fenton - Phillip J. Diener
Fenton - Thomas E. King Jr.
Flint - Terry A. DeCaire
Flint - Darrell A. Young
Flushing - Richard J. Murphy
Fountain - Duane R. Wolf
Frankenmuth - John W. Shelton
Garden City - Mark K. Mazzon
Gaylord - John M. Tithof
Grand Blanc - Stanley Beard
Grand Blanc - Sami Khal
Grand Ledge - Mary K. Gavitt
Grand Rapids - Patrick G. McLaughlin
Grand Rapids - Jane C. Plaisted
Grand Rapids - Robert S. Ruschmann
Grand Rapids - Randy R. Sheahan
Grand Rapids - Brett A. Svacha
Grandville - James J. Backowski Jr.
Hamilton - Kenneth W. Demann
Henderson - Karen A. Shuster
Hillsdale - William J. Mullaly
Holland - Peggy A. Lintemuth
Holland - Matthew M. McCrea
Holland - John L. Robertson
Holland - Scott W. Vanderstoep
Houghton - John B. Sanregret
Houghton - James A. Weiler
Howell - Frank A. Dame
Howell - Craig R. Williams
Hudsonville - Dale J. Heyboer
Hudsonville - Matthew D. Kuiper
Huntington Woods - Joseph J. Rozell
Ithaca - Rodney W. Whitmore
Jackson - Marla E. Grant
Jackson - Nelson D. Negus III
Jerome - Brad L. Brown
Kalamazoo - Charlie D. Westervelt
Kawkawlin - Jack A. Servis
Kentwood - Robert A. Navarro
Kingsford - Jack B. Wallis
Lake Orion - Michael J. Ley
Lansing - Mark G. Simon
Lathrup Village - Darryl A. Alexander
Lawrence - Allan D. Wood
Lincoln - Troy M. Somers
Livonia - Debby E. Karabees-Betts
Lowell - Shane S. Risner
Luther - John J. Syrewicze
Macomb - Patrick J. Walsh
Mancelona - Edward L. McCarty
Manistique - Kevin K. Koski
Marinette (Wis.) - Keith Plude
Marquette - Michael J. Caster
Marquette - Todd E. Koski
Marquette - Brian W. Maki
Marquette - Charlie W. Morrison
Mason - Daniel P. Carmichael
Middleville - Steven P. Shutich
Midland - Gary R. Meredith
Midland - Jeffrey T. Servinski
Milan - Karen E. Draves
Milan - Larry D. Sanford
Monroe - Christopher H. Essex
Munising - Pete Kelto
Muskegon - Curtis L. Adams
Muskegon - Jeremy S. Goorman
Muskegon - Robert L. Graham
Newberry - Jason R. Depew
Niles - David Negron
Northville - Ronald R. Reinke
Norway - James J. Bal
Novi - Harold Butch Wingfield
Olivet - Jeff S. Smith
Ontonagon - Dr. Joseph A. Strong
Orleans - Michael K. Kapustka
Owosso - John T. Sandlin
Peck - William A. Burns
Plymouth - Pericles L. Chiatalas
Portage - Todd R. Gooding
Portage - Larry L. Wegener
Portland - Karen J. Dugan
Quinnesec - Robert D. Forstrom
Rockford - Brian L. Vogel
Rockford - Bruce F. Walterhouse
Romulus - Vincent B. Lewis
Royal Oak - James G. Demres
Saginaw - Barry L. Damzyn
Sanford - Dave A. Jezowski
Schoolcraft - Jeffry P. Morgan
Scottville - Matthew C. Miller
Shelby Twp. - Steven L. Wood
South Bend (Ind.) - James E. Arnett
Southfield - Raymond Kelser
Sparta - William Kotchka
St. Charles - Raymond F. Guzy
St. Clair Shores - Rick A. Fields
St. Joseph - Kenneth J. Baratta
St. Joseph - Richard L. Bloodworth
St. Joseph - Stephen D. Petlick
St. Clair - Ronald Churchill
Sterling Heights - Walter J. Kujawa
Taylor - Raymond C. Kuhr
Three Rivers - Robert J. Laverdure
Toledo (Ohio) - Tom M. Balas|
Traverse City - Bill Parker
Traverse City - John M. Sawyer
Troy - Robert L. Szmania
Vicksburg - James R. Boer
Vulcan - Alan W. Richards
Warren - Kenneth M. Stefanski
Washington - Jerome Angelo
Waterford - Ron H. Stafford
Waterford - Randy Welch
West Bloomfield - James M. Dworman
West Bloomfield - Brian C. Gurwin
West Branch - Michael R. Dematio
West Branch - David M. Gutierrez
40-YEAR OFFICIALS
Ada - Donald L. Slater
Battle Creek - Daniel L. Akins
Bay City - Charles A. Case
Bay City - William P. Heintskill
Bay City - Cindy L. Linton
Beaverton - Ross S. Martin
Blissfield - Patrick L. Seiser
Boyne Falls - Craig W. Oldham
Byron Center - Leroy M. Hackley Jr.
Cadillac - Kevin J. Hughes
Canton - James D. Gagleard
Caro - Mandy J. Knox
Cheboygan - Michael A. Grisdale
Coldwater - Ken Smoker
Comstock Park - Brian P. Macomber
Concord - Karen D. Anderson
Dearborn - Thomas P. Arsenault
Dearborn Heights - Algirdas P. Norkunas
Dearborn Heights - Paul Oshanski
Detroit - Kevin M. Hall
Detroit - Willie Hall Jr.
Detroit - Darryl C. Jones Sr.
DeWitt - Rob A. Stanaway
Dowagiac - Thomas W. Russom
Fennville - Lowell A. Winne Jr.
Fenton - Danny L. Harris
Fenton - Anthony M. Mora
Flint - Robert L. Farrar
Frankfort - Karen Leinaar
Fruitport - Jeff S. VanBeek
Gladstone - Michael F. Gobert
Gobles - Michael G. Long
Grand Haven - Patrick R. Hood
Greenville - Mark K. Schoenfelder
Grosse Pointe Farms - Margaret A. Gatliff
Hastings - Jason L. Sixberry
Holt - Jamie C. Evans
Howell - Janice B. Holda
Howell - Richard W. Humphries
Hurley (Wis.) - Greg Rigoni
Iron Mountain - Steve A. La Coursier
Ironwood - Dennis A. Mackey
Ithaca - James L. Gross
Jackson - Richard J. Eby
Kalamazoo - Mike L. Squires
Kawkawlin - William J. Jaynes
Lambertville - Mark J. Dushane
Lapeer - Robert W. Thomas
Lawton - Michael F. Garvey
Leesburg - Wallace J. Green Jr.
Linden - Gary R. Duke
Linden - Jeffery R. Prince
Manistee - John P. O'Hagan
Marlette - Fred Mroczek
Marysville - Patrick D. Sheehy
Mattawan - Robert M. Nicey
Mecosta - William O. Howes
Midland - Keith R. Netzley
Midland - Brian G. Roberts
Mt. Morris - Jeffery T. Flynn
Nashville - Tony M. Joostberns
Newaygo - Dean A. Duchemin
Oscoda - Duane W. Keck
Otisville - Frank R. Mar
Ottawa Lake - Jamie L. La Rocca
Plainwell - Lurinda A. Shrauger
Port Huron - Scott C. Tallmadge
Portage - Michael L. Bignell
Rochester Hills - Timothy J. Soave
Saugatuck - Ross J. Such
Saugatuck - Timothy J. Woodby
Sault Ste. Marie - David A. Blaskowski
South Lyon - Michael T. Schram
St. Clair Shores - Gary M. Gassen
St. Joseph - Gilbert J. Urban
St. Clair - David W. Baumgart
Stanton - Randy L. Reese
Sterling Heights - Edward S. MacKool Jr.
Stevensville - Fredrick J. Smith
Sylvania (Ohio) - William F. Bisbee Jr.
Taylor - Michael D. Mullin
Temperance - Carroll J. Selmek
Three Oaks - Michael J. Smith
Traverse City - Kenneth M. Allen
Utica - Carl W. Territo
Warren - Thomas J. Mastrovito
Washington - James A. Bade
West Bloomfield - Patrick B. Paul
Woodhaven - Michael A. VonLinsowe
Wyandotte - Michael J. Gniewek
45-YEAR OFFICIALS
Alger - Leroy A. Oliver
Alpena - Phil C. Schultz
Berrien Springs - Jamie L. Stacey
Big Rapids - Jill E. Baker-Cooley
Brighton - Thomas J. Mora
Brimley - Jerald P. Cook
Cadillac - William T. Bartholomew
Caledonia - Conroy Zuiderveen
Cheboygan - Lynwood Leightner Jr.
Clarksville - Jim D. Johnson
Concord - Charles T. Ewing
Daggett - Michael P. Lyons
Dearborn Heights - Kevin P. Kabacinski
Decatur - Patrick L. Boitnott
Delta - William H. Wiseman
Detroit - James E. Briggs
Fenton - Douglas M. Pastor
Flint - James V. Newell
Fremont - James M. Goorhouse
Galesburg - William W. Weese
Gaylord - Paul B. Holmes
Genesee - Douglas W. Tipton
Grosse Pointe Woods - Robert E. Zaranek
Harbor Beach - Steven M. Linn
Hillsdale - Bruce Caswell
Hudson - Fred C. Bowers
Hudson - Patrick W. Wollet
Hudsonville - Bob C. Wojcik
Iron Mountain - John R. Pucci
Jackson - Steven C. Town
Jackson - Chuck D. Walters
Kalamazoo - Willie B. Watson
Lake - Kathleen V. Hutfilz
Lake Orion - Michael J. Callahan
Lansing - Sam L. Davis
Lansing - Donald J. Yuvan
Madison Heights - Marie S. Bessler
Madison Heights - Richard L. Hillman
Manistee - Jo L. Arnold
Manistee - David A. Nemecek
Marshall - David N. Benham
Marshall - Linda K. Hoover
Marysville - Joel P. Venia
Mendon - Patrick J. Conroy
Midland - Ken P. Beaudin
Monroe - Barry Little
Niles - Michael J. Nate
Okemos - Jay Marcotullio
Portage - Richard M. Bird
Portage - Mike T. Hinga
Ravenna - Thomas C. Wright
Rochester - Brian E. York
Rochester Hills - Fred B. Castelvetere
Rockford - Timothy G. Erickson
Saginaw - Roberta A. Beyerlein
Sandusky - Alan DeMott
Scottville - Rodney D. Marshall
Shelby - Edmundo Flores
St. Clair Shores - Tom P. Frattini
St. Ignace - Donald P. Gustafson
St. Joseph - David J. Buck
Temperance - Randall A. Sehl
Toledo (Ohio) - Jon Everhart
Traverse City - Mark E. Stewart
Trenton - Frederick L. Bruley
Vicksburg - Timothy A. Baker
Wallace - Bruce A. Pearson
White Cloud - Tony A. McHattie
Whitmore Lake - David L. Wint
Zeeland - Marvin F. Hinga
Zeeland - Richard W. Lott
Zeeland - Eric D. Wills
50-YEAR OFFICIALS
Ada - Bryan D. Cullens Jr.
Adrian - Judith A. Walter-Kohn
Albion - Raymond Drysdale
Alpena - David M. Kuznicki
Ann Arbor - Jack L. Coffey
Battle Creek - Steven K. Higgs
Bay City - Thomas F. Cole
Berrien Springs - Timothy A. Krieger
Boyne City - Kirk D. Kujawski
Brighton - Bill T. Rubin
Brooklyn - Michael J. Timms
Byron Center - Andrew J. DeVries
Caledonia - Edward T. Hedgecock
Canton - Dennis J. Bostwick
Canton - Terry A. Wash
Clarkston - Eugene R. English Jr.
Clawson - Betty A. Wroubel
Davison - James L. Eastman
Dearborn Heights - Lou Giroux
Detroit - Lawrence D. Freeman
Detroit - Billy L. Waters
Dowagiac - Randy J. Melvin
East Leroy - James Alday
Fenton - Martin R. Covert
Grand Rapids - Robert G. Galvin
Grandville - Andrew J. Kovac
Grayling - Thomas A. Kemp
Grosse Ile - James R. Knopp
Grosse Pointe Farms - Mike C. Dempsey
Hemlock - Rudy Godefroidt
Holly - Paul W. Matson
Howell - Dennis M. Troshak
Hudsonville - Allan J. Owens
Jackson - Michael C. French
Kentwood - Betty J. Near
Lansing - Ken J. Sudall
Marysville - Mark A. Brochu
Mason - Victor T. Cena
Michigan Center - Charles D. Sprang
Middleville - Bruce F. Bender
Milan - Brad D. Susterka
Monroe - Eric E. Jenkins
Monroe - Joseph A. McCormick
Mt. Pleasant - Dale P. Brecht
Mt. Pleasant - James R. MacLean II
Muskegon - Craig W. Weirich
Negaunee - Steven R. Ayotte
Newaygo - Dave Baldus
Northville - Ann K. Hutchins
Ontonagon - Eugene Fiszer
Rives Junction - Dale A. Baum
Rochester Hills - Tom Delia Jr.
Rogers City - Gerald Purgiel
Royal Oak - Byron A. Photiades
Royal Oak - Carol A. Sheldon
Saginaw - Ronald L. Dressler
Saugatuck - Catherine Dritsas
South Haven - Henry L. Allen
Swartz Creek - Larry L. Schutt
Taylor - Terry H. Styer
Tekonsha - Daniel A. Washburn
Three Rivers - Richard L. Simon
Troy - Kenyon D. Shively
Warren - Hugh R. Jewell
Waterford - Frederick A. Cohen
Waterford - Burton Hurshe
Waterford - Thomas R. Sullivan Jr
Wayland - Norman L. Taylor
Whitmore Lake - Charles E. Lindsay
Wyandotte - Michael R. McMahon
55-YEAR OFFICIALS
Byron Center - Joe A. Zomerlei
Canton - Pamela G. Yockey
Custer - Edward C. Miller
Dryden - Louis W. Miramonti
Grand Rapids - Robert J. Rodenhouse
Kingsford - Joseph R. Reddinger
Lakeport - Donna H. Frohm
Lansing - Donald R. Murray
Lansing - Darwin S. Petersen
Monroe - Albert M. Fernandez
Muskegon - Larry T. Vaandering
New Baltimore - James C. Cleverley
Okemos - Tom Woiwode
Onsted - John M. Springer
Vassar - Harold (Dan) Johnson
60-YEAR OFFICIALS
Allegan - George R. Babcock
Boyne City - Gary L. Francis
Detroit - Geraldine Jackson
Grand Rapids - Frank E. Waskelis
Ithaca - Dean Parling
Niles - James G. Murray
Okemos - Thomas L. Minter
Swartz Creek - Phillip P. Long
PHOTO Debby Karabees-Betts, standing above the net, officiates the 2016 MHSAA Division 4 Girls Volleyball Final.