Mike Pereira, Sacramento (Calif.)

Pereira is a former college and NFL football official who later became vice president of officiating for the National Football League. He is currently the head of officiating for the United Football League, and since 2010 has served as a rules analyst for Fox Sports and become one of the leading voices for officials, offering insight to TV audiences which had never been provided before his work.

He also is the founder of Battlefields to Ballfields, a national foundation that provides military veterans with scholarships, training, and mentorship to become sports officials, helping them reintegrate into their communities through the camaraderie of officiating. Pereira was the opening speaker at Officiate Michigan Day in July.

I didn’t want to officiate when they first came to me.

I said, “No.”

I said, “My dad had officiated. I don’t have any desire to.”

And they said, “Well why?”

And I said, “Because I don’t.”

“Because your dad officiated.”

“Maybe that’s it.”

I used to go to games and watch him get yelled at. And then they said, “It’s $10 a game. Three games. Thirty dollars, cash.”

I was a college student with no money. I said, “Yeah, I always thought I wanted to officiate.” And out I went. And it was kind of interesting, that first quarter of the first game, that first Pop Warner game, the parents are yelling at me, I didn’t know what I was doing, little kids running around.

And it was like somebody injected me with adrenaline. I found my passion in life.

As stupid as that maybe sounds, I found my passion in life. Thirty dollars is what I started to work for.

“What’s My Why” is a weekly feature telling the stories of MHSAA-registered officials in their own words. If you’re an MHSAA official and would like to share your reason why, please submit a 15 to 45-second video, taken horizontally, to director of officials Sam Davis at [email protected].

What's My Why

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July 15: Sam Davis, Lansing - Watch
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