Hayes Continues to Cultivate Growth of Lacrosse, Generations of Officials
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
May 18, 2022
This spring, more than 60 years after she graduated from high school, Pat Hayes is officiating five and sometimes six girls lacrosse games a week.
The sport has grown significantly especially over the last 20 years, and there are games at all levels to be played. And Hayes, who has helped guide that growth from the sport’s start in Michigan, has helped make sure those games do get played whether as the assigner of officials to work them, trainer of officials build up the ranks or often as the umpire herself.
“I played four sports in high school; that’s all we had back then – basketball, swimming, field hockey and tennis,” Hayes said. “And (my coach) said to me, ‘Just remember the last time you didn’t have officials on one of your field hockey games, or basketball games.’ I said, ‘Well, we always had umpires.’ And she said, ‘When you leave here, that’s your time to give back to the next girls. And I’ve been doing that ever since.”
A knowledgeable leader and valued voice for girls lacrosse from its start in Michigan, Hayes’ dedication to the sport began long before its eventual sponsorship by the Michigan High School Athletic Association began with the 2004-05 school year. A longtime coach and official, Hayes has helped guide the growth of the sport most recently as one of the most respected umpires, officials assigners and trainers in the state – and she is being honored for those contributions with this year’s MHSAA Vern L. Norris Award.
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.
Hayes is in her 22nd year as an MHSAA-registered official, a tenure which has included eight years of soccer, five of volleyball and one of basketball – and every season of lacrosse since it became an MHSAA-sponsored sport nearly two decades ago. She also has built a legendary international career as an official for field hockey, which while not an MHSAA-sponsored sport is played by more than 30 of the state’s high schools.
Hayes has officiated both field hockey and lacrosse since graduating from Detroit Western High School in 1958. She also has more than three decades of coaching experience across multiple sports, and is best-known by the most recent generations in her sports as a prized trainer and officials assigner especially in lacrosse and field hockey.
“My reward, when I train somebody, is watching them excel, and my real reward is if they get picked to do a (MHSAA) Final, and there have been several of them that I have trained that have done that,” she said. “And several of them now are doing college lacrosse, which is even more of a reward for me. Watching them go and excel and move on to the next level is my reward.”
While still a student at Wayne State University in 1960-61, Hayes coached field hockey and started the lacrosse program at Grosse Pointe Sacred Heart Academy. After two years there, she moved to Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart, where she remained until 1970 teaching chemistry and biology, coaching field hockey, lacrosse, basketball and volleyball and serving as athletic director as well.
She then left teaching with the birth of her second of three daughters, but continued to officiate. When her daughters reached high school at Birmingham Seaholm, she returned as a coach of the Maples’ freshman boys and then junior varsity girls basketball teams. In 1985 she began a 22-year stint at Detroit Country Day coaching girls lacrosse with five years also coaching freshman boys basketball. She coached the Yellowjackets girls lacrosse team to the first Division 2 championship game and a runner-up finish in 2005.
Hayes currently assigns lacrosse officials for 28 schools as part of the Lacrosse Zebras Organization of Michigan. She has worked seven MHSAA Girls Lacrosse Finals and also officiated college lacrosse at the Division II and III levels. She is retiring this spring after 35 years assigning girls soccer officials as well.
Perhaps her most legendary work has come in field hockey. She played on the U.S. national team and over the last half-century has been considered among the top field hockey officials in the world. She has officiated that sport at the college level for 45 years, with an NCAA Championship assignment in 1986, and she also officiated three World Cup tournaments and the 2004 Olympics as a technical official. She assigns officials for all of Michigan’s high school field hockey games during the sport’s fall season.
Hayes has been recognized numerous times for her extensive service to school sports. She was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Michigan Chapter Hall of Fame in 2009 and was named an honorary member of the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. She was named to the Bloomfield Hills Roeper School Hall of Fame in 2016 and Detroit Catholic High School League Hall of Fame in 2018. She received the Oakland County Athletic Director Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.
"Pat has been a leader and pioneer in officiating, especially creating opportunities for female officials. She has been a true leader for years in lacrosse, soccer and field hockey," MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. "She has that perfect combination of compassion, toughness, grace and grit. Michigan's officiating community is fortunate to have Pat Hayes."
Hayes graduated from Detroit Western High School in 1958 and with a bachelor’s degree in education from Wayne State University in 1962.
In addition to her continued service to athletics, Hayes has received the Good Neighbor Award for volunteering with the Quarton Lake Neighborhood Association in Birmingham.
Hayes and husband John Hayes were married 50 years, until his death in 2016. Their three daughters all played college athletics, but not lacrosse or field hockey – instead golf, volleyball and soccer.
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 Park
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
MICHIGAN HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
20, 30, 40, 45, 50, 55 & 60-YEAR OFFICIALS
The officials on this list are receiving their 20, 30, 40, 45, 50, 55 or 60-year service awards.
20-YEAR OFFICIALS
Adrian – Christopher M. Jones
Albion – Matt M. Overweg
Ann Arbor – Brad R. Nevin
Ann Arbor – Luis E. Acosta
Auburn – David J. Radke
Battle Creek – Melvin C. McKnight
Bay City – Thomas E. Barnikow
Bay City – Martin Brown
Bellaire – William J. Johnston
Bellaire – Michael A. Sizen
Belmont – Terrence P. Kerwin
Berrien Springs – Daryl L. Boughton
Beulah – Joe M. Johnson
Birch Run – Joel D. Barnes
Boyne City – Hal G. Price
Brimley – Vincent A. Gross
Bristol – Milan Vuchenich
Burton – Michael J. Vogt
Byron Center – Patrick J. Lane
Canton – Christopher J. Floyd
Canton – Robert R. Maybouer
Canton – Donald W. Mullett
Cassopolis – Charles A. Conner
Cassopolis – Douglas S. Conner
Chesterfield – Erik C. Law
Chesterfield – Ronald G. Masters
Clinton Township – Richard G. Croci
Coldwater – Courtney J. Dean
Coloma – James G. Kalinowski
Commerce Township – James J. McGuigan
Davison – Scott McConnelee
Davison – Edward D. Rodden
Dearborn – Ralph D. Capler
Dearborn – Oliver H. Fragoso
Dearborn – Joseph M. Salmassi
Detroit – Hershell Bell Jr.
Detroit – Rayford Evans
Detroit – Donald F. Gay Jr.
Detroit – Andrew Hill Jr.
Detroit – Herman Pierce
Detroit – Sherell S. Stanley Esq.
Detroit – Gregory Williams
Detroit – Richard A. Hughes
DeWitt – Bret J. Wegenke
Dryden – Mark E. Stevens
Farmington Hills – Jeffrey E. Dornseifer
Farmington Hills – Rob T. Holmes
Farwell – James C. Betts
Fenton – Donald G. Lougheed
Flat Rock – Patricia L. Brodie
Flint – Chris R. Daly
Flushing – Angela Del Morone
Flushing – William J. Furno
Flushing – Thomas F. Theile
Freeland – Bob Diekman
Fremont – Ty Miller
Fruitport – Chad J. Vanderstelt
Gaylord – Michele R. Curtis
Gladwin – Kevin S. Krenzke
Gobles – Michael R. Spencer
Grand Haven – Michael E. Keith
Grand Haven – Ben Wieringa
Grand Ledge – Matthew R. Allen
Grand Rapids – Marquese T. Allen Sr.
Grand Rapids – Kecia Y. Bennett
Grand Rapids – Charles F. Ely III
Grand Rapids – Brett A. Lambert
Grand Rapids – Jay Spencer
Grand Rapids – Gregory S. Yarhouse
Grosse Pointe – Lisa Favors
Grosse Pointe Woods – Michael A. Zilli
Gwinn – Kathy G. Foulks
Gwinn – Steven M. Foulks
Hamtramck – Thomas A. Habitz Jr.
Hartland – Steven P. Tannar
Hillsdale – Bruce A. Britton
Holland – Michael D. Costello
Holland – Vincent L. Duckworth
Holland – Karl Z. Nadolsky
Holland – Heather M. Tietze
Holland – Matt B. Vanderhulst
Holland – David M. Zessin
Howell – Ryan E. Decker
Hudsonville – Bruce Ritsema
Ironwood – Dan L. Meyer
Ironwood – Jeffrey R. Wasley
Ishpeming – John L. Burke
Jackson – Todd R. Sonnenberg
Jackson – Justin D. Ward
Jenison – Mark K. Lundvick
Kalamazoo – Bruce Beery
Kalamazoo – Kris M. Brown Jr.
Kalamazoo – Alan E. Clark
Kalamazoo – William S. Wilkinson
Kaleva – Michael Phillips
Kentwood – Gerry Erb
Lake Orion – Debra L. Bunker-Plasters
Lambertville – Tom M. Condon
Lambertville – Steven M. Rechsteiner
Lansing – Joseph Bard Jr.
Lansing – Donald Childs
Lansing – Natalie J. Queen
Lapeer – Peter S. Haggadone
Litchfield – Mickey J. Rowe
Livonia – Dennis O. Betts
Livonia – Kevin J. Kashat
Ludington – Genevieve M. Knudsen
Ludington – J. R. Schoon
Macomb – Marc W. Sonnenfeld
Manistique – Kelley L. Spettel
Marinette – Jim Kostura
Marquette – Blaine M. Barabas
Marquette – Roxin Zhang
Mason – Heidi S. Hopper
Mason – Robert D. Manes
Midland – Stephen A. Kamin
Milan – Ryan P. Chadderton
Millington – Glen W. Reinert
Monroe – Terrance E. Leabhart
Monroe – Thomas M. Malik
Mount Pleasant – Audie S. Hawkins Sr.
Newport – Kenneth H. Trimiew
North Branch – Luke D. Reynolds
North Muskegon – Anthony T. McBride
Novi – Rick A. VanDerVeer
Novi – Jeffrey S. Woodbury
Okemos – Matthew D. Wilcox
Ontonagon – Patrick A. Pestka
Oxford – Elizabeth A. Cilfone
Petoskey – John F. Tompkins
Portage – Curtis D. Messing
Portage – William L. Rutledge
Portage – David W. Steinmiller
Reese – Kent A. Houghtaling
Reese – Kris K. Shoemate
Richland – Glenn R. Bushouse
Rochester – Luis J. Arellano
Rochester Hills – Peter L. Olson
Rockford – Todd J. Frazier
Royal Oak – James V. Stockel
Rudyard – Steven T. May
Saginaw – Luke S. Schmiege
Sault Ste. Marie – Mike Heyboer
Scotts – David J. Blough
Shelby Township – Gregory J. Lefevre
Shelby Township – Denise L. Roeschke
Southfield – Joel E. Moore
Springport – Steven B. Keeler
St. Helen – Donald L. Hancock
Standish – Steven J. Stodolak
Sterling Heights – David R. Krellwitz
Stevensville – Daniel S. Barz
Swanton – Paul Ramirez
Swartz Creek – Mike Gomez
Swartz Creek – Timothy M. Mowry
Taylor – Cedric Binns
Toledo – Jeremy L. Petroff
Trenton – Eric A. Towe
Trenton – Jason J. Towe
Troy – Peter R. Bucheli
Vanderbilt – John W. Bifoss Jr.
Vicksburg – Carl E. Keller
Wakefield – Peter W. Yon
Warren – Kevin S. Kitka
Washington – William B. Pochinco
West Bloomfield – Kenneth M. Bertin
Westland – Calvin E. Denson
Wolverine – Daniel D. Ashenfelter
Wyoming – Darryl M. Dillard
Ypsilanti – Eva L. Bower
Zeeland – Ted C. Patrick
30-YEAR AWARDS
Albion – Arthur E. Kale
Battle Creek – Laurie S. Mueller
Bay City – Gary L. Merrill
Beverly Hills – Thomas I. Prysby
Bonita Springs – Bryan R. Wild
Byron Center – Todd A. Powell
Cambridge – Mark D. Dooley
Capac – Tom R. Mailloux
Carleton – Geno R. Walker
Cedar Springs – Shane P. Wood
Charlotte – Ron W. Bristol
Charlotte – Michael K. Sumner
Cheboygan – Thom L. Wissner
Columbiaville – Russell M. Cossaboom
Davisburg – Leo P. Flynn
Dearborn Heights – Kenneth E. Butler
Detroit – Damon M. Brown
Detroit – Rich J. Plackowski
DeWitt – Jeffrey R. Spedoske
DeWitt – Mark R. Uyl
Dowagiac – Larry G. Brewer
Dowagiac – Don East
East China – Kirk A. Seibert
East China – Michael J. Welser
East Tawas – Kenneth C. Baker
Escanaba – Kevin P. Ayotte
Essexville – David A. Lovely
Falmouth – Don L. Blue Jr.
Fennville – Philip R. Bard
Ferndale – Mose F. Smith Jr.
Gaylord – Vern W. Collins
Grand Blanc – Dean P. Tondreau
Grand Haven – Lori L. Spelde
Grand Ledge – Daniel P. West
Grand Rapids – Pete M. Cool
Grand Rapids – Geoffrey Henderson
Grand Rapids – Dwayne W. Moore
Grass Lake – Daniel S. Trudell
Harbor Beach – Darryl J. Wehner
Hartland – Larry A. Mach
Hemlock – James R. La Grow II
Holton – Joseph M. Stine
Indian River – David M. Reeb
Iron Mountain – Bruce M. Tapio
Iron Mountain – Hans E. Wienke
Jackson – Paul A. McDonald
Kalamazoo – O'Neal Ollie
Lake City – Richard A. Bradley
Lake Orion – Michael K. Sopko
Lakeport – Kenneth E. Marzka
Lansing – Scott Barnes
Lansing – Lloyd Richard Kieft
Leslie – Juan P. Zamora Jr.
Livonia – Sharon E. Harris-Agrusa
Ludington – Aaron R. Condit
Mesick – Daniel L. Cochrane
Monroe – James T. Beck
Monroe – Brian A. Lamour
Morrice – Andrew P. Flynn
Mount Clemens – Shawn C. Dinkfelt
New Baltimore – Thomas L. Hebben
Norton Shores – Brian R. Holman
Novi – Ron S. Angell
Oakland Township – John C. Bowie
Ortonville – Stephen M. Hendershott
Owosso – Thomas F. Rau
Paw Paw – David P. DeCou
Petersburg – David J. Szenderski
Pinckney – Charles F. Krochmal
Pinconning – Denny M. Wiltse
Port Huron – Tyrone T. Christmas
Portage – William F. Louthan
Reese – David H. Selden
Riverview – Gary E. Kulchar
Rockford – Angela C. DeVito
Saginaw – Michael W. Clark
Saginaw – Brian J. Weaver
Saint Charles – Larry G. Graf
Shelby Township – David J. Roeschke
South Haven – Timothy J. Rediess
South Rockwood – James E. Martin
Southfield – Wayne C. Smith
Spring Lake – David C. Gross
St Clair – Dale R. Kaufman
St Ignace – Eric J. Danielson
St Ignace – Robert J. Lee
St Johns – Daniel J. LeVeque
St Joseph – John W. Ruddell
Stevensville – Larry L. Ward
Swartz Creek – Terry L. Scrivener
Sylvania – Shawn R. Glass
Traverse City – Kevin A. Novorolsky
Waterford – Marc J. Cooper
West Bloomfield – Donald C. Brewer
West Bloomfield – Barry E. Yett
West Branch – Anthony J. Buckett
Whitehall – Warren F. Kent III
Wyandotte – John P. Rzeppa
40-YEAR AWARDS
Adrian – Brenda Betz
Allen Park – Brett S. Davis
Bay Harbor – Peter C. Fitzsimons
Berrien Springs – Michael B. Emerson
Boyne City – Jeffery A. Grice
Buckley – Charles E. Bott
Burton – Gibbon J. Goulish
Chesterfield – James P. Lewis
Dearborn – Gary J. Trocino
Dearborn Heights – Alan Kevwitch
Dearborn Heights – Shaun P. Soraghan
Decatur – Daniel K. Benson
Farmington – Gerald G. Potter
Farmington Hills – Peter Beer
Fenton – Mark D. Larson
Gladwin – Rick C. Stone
Goshen – Stephen V. Grinczel
Grand Rapids – William J. Wagner
Grand Rapids – Brian M. Zdanowski
Grandville – Peter J. VanGessel
Greenville – Thomas W. Kohn
Grosse Pointe – Michael J. Peltz
Holly – Dale M. Smith
Howell – Thomas J. Guilmette
Howell – Kenneth G. Wikle
Jackson – Tim E. Hoffman
Jackson – Phillip T. Westheimer
Jackson – Dennis V. Whitehead
Kalamazoo – Trent J. Anderson
Kalamazoo – Michael T. Aumack
Kalamazoo – Carol Willson
Lake Worth – Russell D. Johnson
Livonia – David J. Askew
Livonia – James M. Gibbons
Mason – Mark R. Sefcik
Monroe – Michael T. Knabusch
Newport – George S. Harvey
Oak Park – Robert L. Czech
Owosso – Michael Selleck
Oxford – Michael L. Dunn
Paw Paw – Horace M. Turner
Plainwell – John R. Martin
Portage – Gary A. Therrian
Posen – Mary E. Wozniak
Quinnesec – David R. Soderbloom
Saginaw – Rudy T. Kocsis
Saginaw – Ray Powers
Shelby Township – Helmut Egger
St. Clair Shores – Ross Klein
St. Ignace – Martin J. Spencer
Troy – Ramiro J. Bucheli
Weidman – Eric E. Gronda
West Bloomfield – Brian W. McKenna
Wolverine – Stephen M. Johnson
45-YEAR AWARDS
Adrian – Don C. Fry
Alma – Bruce M. Moss
Bristol – David J. Blough
Brooklyn – Thomas W. Crampton
Brown City – Richard Lee
Climax – Wayne C. Patterson
Crystal – Robert A. Youngs
Davison – Douglas C. Dillon
Davison – Randy Hutton
Detroit – Patricia E. Jones
Detroit – Bertha M. Smiley
DeWitt – John C. Hoekje
Farmington Hills – John D. Scott
Fenton – Richard D. Massa
Frankenmuth – Dennis Krafft
Gladstone – David P. Gagnon
Hazel Park – Ronald R. Nagy
Highland – Deborah S. Heck
Imlay City – Jeff M. Weingartz
Ionia – Paul D. Carmichael
Iron Mountain – John J. Sacchetti
Iron Mountain – Doug A. Schupp
Ironwood – Jeff D. Haapoja
Kalamazoo – Kirk G. Hart
Lansing – Bryan L. Smith
Linden – Reed W. Johnson
Manistee – Tom L. Guenthardt
Muskegon – Jeffery A. Burr
Negaunee – Philip M. DeGabriele
Norton Shores – Richard L. Anderegg
Norton Shores – Jim Tate
Plymouth – Thomas J. Poma
Posen – Frank Wozniak
Rapid River – Jeffrey A. Schram
Saginaw – Charles S. Sherman
Saginaw – Suzanne R. Swanton
Shelby Township – Michael L. Hessen
St. Clair – Garth E. Jones
Sturgis – David R. Cherry
Trenton – Max Monas
Troy – Joseph E. Thilman
Warren – Larry R. Leeper
Warren – Stephen Stuckey
Williamston – Michael A. Nestell
50-YEAR AWARDS
Battle Creek – Charles M. Hobbs
Brighton – Bruce D. Ritter
Davison – Patrick J. McKenna
Farmington – Raymond A. Cranston
Grand Rapids – Tom J. Essenburg
Howell – James L. Downs
Iron Mountain – Kenneth E. Marchetti
Ludington – Ronald E. Mousel
Plymouth – Brian F. Foust
Saginaw – John B. Musulin
Spruce – Leslie L. Miller
St. Clair Shores – George Mihalic
St. Joseph – Frederick A. Fenrick
Sunrise – Thomas J. Lieckfelt
Taylor – Alphonse P. Ruffner
Tekonsha – Brian C. Briegel
Westland – James J. McPartlin
Wyoming – Robert L. Stewart
55-YEAR AWARDS
Clarkston – Tony Malinowski
Comstock Park – Paul L. VanOveren
Grand Rapids – Kenneth H. Terpstra
Haslett – Rodney H. Horton
Negaunee – Roland K. Koski
Owosso – Jim G. Niemiec
Rochester Hills – Walter E. Popyk
West Bloomfield – Alan K. Kaczander
60-YEAR AWARDS
Mount Pleasant – Norman R. Sorenson
St. Clair Shores – Diane M. Johnson
PHOTO Official Pat Hayes sets up the opening faceoff for the 2009 Division 2 Final. (MHSAA file photo.)
Hoping to be 'Hardly Noticed,' 50-Year Official Allen Certainly Recognizable, Respected
By
Mike Dunn
Special for MHSAA.com
December 18, 2025
Editor's Note: An extended version of this article appeared originally in the Cadillac News in March. Since then, Allen has been inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan's Hall of Honor in October and is wearing the striped shirt again this basketball season, officially his 50th year.
CADILLAC – Bill Allen’s story is similar to that of many area sports officials, particularly those officials who have been active for many years.
A background in sports, typically playing team sports while growing up, combined with a desire to continue to be involved after high school or college, coupled with an inner urge to be part of the solution – these characteristics find a natural outlet for those brave souls who choose to be officials. and these traits are nearly always part of the make-up of the officials who receive high grades for their efforts and serve capably for many years.
Allen, of Cadillac, would not say this about himself. But he is one of those officials whom coaches are glad to see on the floor because they know they’re getting someone who will be fair and consistent. The same could also be said of Allen when he was umpiring, though he doesn’t work the diamonds anymore.
As Allen can tell you as he enters his 50th year wearing the striped shirt on the hardwood, officiating is a demanding vocation – and it is rewarding at the same time. It requires the right temperament as well as an above-average level of mental and physical fitness, especially as age makes its inevitable demands. It requires the ability to make decisions quickly, sometimes under very stressful conditions. It requires the ability to face criticism, sometimes expressed loudly or very loudly. It requires the ability to be a peacemaker at times and also the willingness not to hold grudges or become petty.
For those like Allen who have what it takes, those who are up to the challenges and the rigors that officiating requires from an individual, there is a deep satisfaction in knowing they are making a positive difference.
“I think that’s a common thread among all the officials, whether it’s basketball or baseball or softball,” Allen said. “You obviously want to do your best, but you want to manage the game in a way that helps it to flow the way it should flow and enables everyone, the players and the coaches and the fans, to get the most out of it.
“It’s an old cliché but it’s true: The best officials are the ones you hardly notice. If you can officiate a game and walk through the crowd afterward and no one recognizes you, then you’ve probably done your job pretty well that game. That’s what every official strives for.
“You’re never going to get every call right, and you have to be willing to accept that going into it,” he added. “But you know the rules and apply the rules the best you can, you put yourself in the best position to make the calls, especially in basketball, and you call it the way you see it.
“Are you always right? No. But if you put yourself in the right position and make the call you believe is correct, you can live with that and normally the coaches can too, even if they’re angry about a particular call in the moment.”
Allen, like most officials, was an athlete himself growing up in Traverse City and playing multiple sports for what was then known as Traverse City High School, the largest high school in Michigan in the early 1970s. By his own admission, he wasn’t one of the top stars in basketball and baseball but he was a good, reliable player for his coaches and a dependable teammate who loved the atmosphere of the arena during each season as well as the sense of achievement that the act of competing brought out in him like nothing else.
“I was pretty athletic growing up, but not a great athlete at Traverse City High School,” he said. “I was good enough to make the teams, but I wasn’t what you would call an impact player. A lot of officials have the same kind of background as mine. Maybe we weren’t the greatest players, but we still enjoy sports and we like being part of the action.”
It was during his final two years at Michigan State during the mid-1970s that Allen received his start in officiating.
“In my junior year at Michigan State, one of the fellows I roomed with did assignments for the intramural programs at the college,” he said. “Everything from touch football to basketball to slow-pitch softball. He told me to take the officiating class and he would assign me to games, and that’s how it all started 50 years ago.”
Allen jumped into the world of officiating eagerly with both feet, working a sporting event “nearly every night” at MSU.
“I would go to school during the day, ref at night, and do it again the next day,” he recalled.
“There were so many contests, maybe thousands, that I got to work with a number of other officials. Tim McClelland, who later became a Major League umpire and made the illegal pine tar bat call against George Brett, was a colleague back then. It was a lot of good experience and good mentoring and laid a great foundation for what turned out to be ahead.”
Allen initially earned a degree in criminal justice, graduating from Michigan State University in 1977, and worked in the field of corrections for a period of time before his love of baseball and a sense of personal confidence in his potential to officiate at a higher level prompted him to attend a school for prospective umpires in Daytona Beach, Fla.
That didn’t quite work out, but Allen was not deterred. He changed his career plans from criminal justice to education, and the switch would also lead to abundant opportunities for officiating down the road not just on the baseball and softball diamonds but the basketball court as well.
“When I didn’t get picked (for umpiring), I went back to school to earn my teaching certificate and a graduate degree in history with the goal of becoming a teacher at Cadillac,” he explained. Allen’s wife Sue already was employed as a teacher with the school district.
Bill’s goal at that point was to join Sue as a member of the faculty, as a social studies teacher, and that’s just what happened. Bill served for 26 years in the classroom before retiring along with Sue 12 years ago.
“I viewed Cadillac schools as a great organization to work for as a teacher before I got hired there, and I was right,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade my years at Cadillac for anything. Susie and I both thoroughly enjoyed our years there.”
In conjunction with teaching, Allen continued to officiate basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring and summer. He umpired a lot of men’s summer league softball games through the years and grew to love in particular working the games under the lights at Cadillac’s Lincoln Field.
He also became a registered official with the MHSAA and has continued in that role, though he decided to hang up his umpire cleats a few years ago.
“I registered with the MHSAA while I was still in Lansing,” he said. “The first place I ever did a sanctioned event was in Perry, Michigan. I had barely enough (umpiring) equipment and I’m sure I looked like a real yahoo out there, but I got through it.”
After coming to Cadillac, Allen met Dave Martin, who was an active official and a fellow teacher at Marion, and Martin became his first “crew chief.”
“They needed some JV officials and I got signed up and was off and running,” Allen recalled. “That’s how you got into it back then. You found a crew and the crew chief assigned you some games, and you were evaluated. As long as they liked you and liked what you were doing, they kept you around.”
Allen expressed admiration and appreciation for Martin and also the late June Helmboldt from Lake City, another crew leader “who had a great perspective on the game.”
Allen served as a crew chief himself for a long time and has built rewarding relationships with fellow officials through the years. He has worked many games with Penny McDonald of Cadillac, another longtime official who has earned much respect for her consistency and quality of work in multiple sports over the decades. Allen, in a reversal of roles, is the one receiving assignments from McDonald these days.
Bill Bartholomew is another longtime officiating partner with whom Allen has worked many games over the years and for whom Allen has great respect. This school year, in fact, marks Bartholomew’s 51st year as an official. There are a few others from northern Michigan who have stood the test of time and have passed the 50-year service milestone, such as Paul Williams of Mesick, Tom Post and Mike Muldowney of Traverse City, Tom Johnson of Gaylord, and Dan Aldrich of Charlevoix. All of these, Allen said, are a credit to the craft of officiating and have earned the respect they receive.
Allen also has fond memories of working frequently through the years with Don Blue of Falmouth and Jill Baker-Cooley of Big Rapids, who was chosen for the MHSAA’s prestigious Vern L. Norris Award in 2018.
“I was there when Don and Julie and Penny all got their start in officiating, and they all found their skill set and became excellent officials,” Allen said.
Bill is included in the 50-year milestone group of basketball officials now that the 2025-26 season is underway. He is pleased that he has been able to maintain his longevity; as to the future, he is ready and willing to keep going.
“As long as I’m healthy and can do it properly, I hope to continue,” said Allen, who remains physically fit, jogging regularly along with activities including downhill skiing in the winters and golf during the warmer months.
“I’ll know when it’s time to step aside. When I can’t see well enough to judge the baseline and need to rely on my partners more than I should, then it’s time to hang up the whistle and let the younger ones take over. I hope that’s not for a while though.”
Mike Dunn is a sportswriter for the Cadillac News and the sports editor of the Missaukee Sentinel weekly. He has won numerous awards through the Michigan Press Association as well as the Michigan Associated Press.
PHOTOS (Top) Cadillac’s Bill Allen, shown here following a varsity girls basketball game in February in Evart, is in his 50th year as an MHSAA registered official. (Middle) Allen waits at the baseline for action to resume. (Below) Allen talks casually with McBain Northern Michigan Christian boys assistant coach Terry Pluger prior to the start of the varsity game with Buckley on Dec. 8. (Photos by Mike Dunn.)