Wozniak 'Crew' Serves Together in Stripes
May 1, 2019
By Tim Miller
Mio teacher, former coach and graduate
If you were to attend a high school basketball game in northeast Michigan, or watch the local sports highlights from the evening on TV, you might see a member of the Wozniak family running up and down the basketball court.
You won’t see them dribbling the ball, or pulling up for a jump shot. The pressure to get a rebound, or to play defense, is no longer part of the game plan for them. The red jersey they once wore so proudly in high school has been replaced by a black and white uniform that’s worn only by referees.
Take a drive north on M-65 and you will eventually reach the home of the famous Potato Festival, located in Posen, Michigan. Don’t expect to see a McDonald’s, Subway, or even a stoplight when you arrive. The town consists of a few small businesses, managed by a group of people who take pride in calling Posen their home.
One such family is Stanley and Virginia Wozniak, who just finished celebrating 68 years of marriage. During this time, they became the proud parents of Chuck, Ken, Cheryl, Frank, Donna, Mary Ellen, Michelle, and Linda.
Although I’ve never met Mr. and Mrs. Wozniak, it’s obvious to me, and anyone who knows their children, that they instilled some very important life lessons in them while raising them. One such lesson was getting involved. At one time Stanley was an official, so I guess it’s no surprise to see his children follow in his footsteps.
Living in northern Michigan during the winter can be brutal. Frigid temperatures and a large accumulation of snow can make it challenging. The key to surviving these long hard winters is staying busy. One such way is to attend a high school sporting event, and like so many people throughout the area, I watch as many games as I can.
Whether I’m attending a home game, or traveling out of town to an away game, it’s not uncommon to walk into a high school gym and see the Wozniak officiating crew from Posen standing courtside, patiently waiting to start the game.
What’s been striking to me over the years is to see them working as a unit, game after game. Rarely have I seen one of them working on another crew. Another lesson learned from home: family staying together. Years of experience has allowed them to officiate a regular-season game or much-anticipated playoff game with confidence.
When the game begins, I like sitting by myself. I look for the little things that players do or don’t do. I also watch the officials and compare my observations with their calls. Having watched them for many years in a variety of games, I’ve been impressed with their ability to call a game, regardless of whether it’s two teams battling to stay out of last place or a championship game packed full of screaming fans. Their passion for the game and commitment to getting it right has earned the respect of coaches, players and fans throughout northern Michigan.
They would be the first to admit they’ve made a mistake or missed a call here and there. Another lesson learned from home: be honest and stay humble. There have been games where the fans, players and coaches have disagreed with them, and a variety of facial expressions and comments have been made. It doesn’t stop them; they just keep moving forward.
They know this type of behavior comes with the territory, even though it’s the reason why so many officials have decided to quit. Another lesson learned from home: don’t give up.
The same drive that earned Donna and Mary Ellen both Female Athlete of the Year at Posen Consolidated Schools – in 1978 and 1981, respectively – fuels them on the court. While attending a girls junior high game, I witnessed Donna put an end to a loud-mouth fan. She calmly stopped the game, walked over to him, looked him square in the eyes and said, “Are you done?”
To which he replied “yes.” After speaking with him and making her point, she continued to officiate the game all by herself. For some reason, she was the only official for the game. She didn’t complain or make excuses; she simply made the best of the situation in front of her. Another lesson learned at home: don’t complain and do your best.
I’ve also seen Mary Ellen straighten out a few coaches and players during her career. Like her sister Donna, she’s not afraid to put an end to poor sportsmanship during the game.
Being an official isn’t easy. They’re constantly under scrutiny and harassment by unruly fans, coaches and players. The sacrifices they make to officiate a game often go unnoticed or are rarely even discussed. I wonder how many dinners they’ve missed with their families.
The technology used at the games has changed over time. From the Kodak camera, to the 35 millimeter, to the camcorder. And now the popular cell phone, perhaps the best and worst device ever created. Now anyone can snap a picture or record a video of an official. Spend a few minutes adding disrespectful comments, and post it online. Even through this evolution of tasteless unwarranted behavior, the Wozniaks keep rolling on.
Like all officials, they don’t do it for the money! What little they make can’t possibly offset the cost of maintaining their vehicles, gas, tires and worn out parts along the way. They do it because they love and respect the game. As spectators, we often place the blame on officials when we lose. However, I’ve never heard anyone say we won because of the officials. In my 40-plus years of watching sports, I have never seen an official miss a free throw or turn the ball over during the game, nor have I seen an official play sloppy defense. I’ve never seen them get out-coached or out-hustled by the opposing team.
We also have a tendency to undervalue the officials. Instead, we put our focus on the coaches, players and the games. That all changes in a split second when we think a foul should be called. Then, all eyes are fixed on the official, and immediate results are expected. The official is expected to see everything, which is an unrealistic expectation.
As officials, the Wozniaks do an outstanding job. Running up and down the court with a whistle in your mouth can’t be easy. I wonder how many of us could do that. I can only imagine how many inadvertent calls would be made as we tried keeping up with the players. Trying to spot every rule infraction is impossible, and yet, they keep striving to do their best. They’re not perfect, nor would you ever hear one of them claim to be. However, they’re doing something that the majority of fans, coaches and players would never even consider! They’re willing to put that official’s uniform on and have the courage, determination and commitment to doing the best job they can.
Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know them. They have the ability to look past those negatives. They choose to remember the big games, the respectful players, the quality coaches, the new friendships they made, and most important of all, spend time on the court with one another.
Here are some of their amazing accomplishments:
• Chuck has been an official for 46 years. During this time, he has officiated multiple playoff games for girls and boys basketball, including MHSAA Semifinal and Final games. He was the track coach at Posen Consolidated Schools for 38 years and is currently a member of the Posen Fire Department.
• Ken has been an official for 43 years. He has officiated multiple playoff games for girls and boys basketball as well, including Semifinal and Final games. He currently serves on the Posen Consolidated School Board and has for the last 19 years – 17 as school board president.
• Frank has been an official for 42 years and has been selected to work a Basketball Semifinal. He coached junior varsity boys basketball for four years and umpired youth softball and basketball for many more. He was also the director of the local softball tournaments in Posen for 13 years.
• Donna has been an official for 41 years, working multiple playoff games for girls and boys basketball including Semifinals and Finals – including a boys Semifinal. She may be one of the most respected officials in Michigan, at any level! She coached softball at Posen Consolidated Schools and coached youth softball and basketball in the community for many years.
• Mary Ellen has been an official for 34 years and was selected to officiate a Girls Basketball Semifinal. She coached the varsity girls basketball team at Posen Consolidated Schools for nine years. She is currently an assistant coach for the Alpena Community College softball team.
• Linda officiated volleyball for 13 years. She volunteers at a variety of youth events throughout the community. She runs the scoreboard at athletic events, along with keeping the books. She is currently the class advisor for the graduating class of 2019 at Posen Consolidated Schools. She’s also involved in the chamber of commerce, where she served as treasurer for eight years.
• Although Cheryl doesn’t officiate, she’s involved in her community in many ways. She volunteers her time in the sports booster program and the little league programs. She was the secretary of the sports boosters for 15 years and selected as its “Volunteer of the Year.” She’s a strong supporter of promoting youth sports in her community.
• Michelle is also a strong supporter of youth programs in Posen and Alpena. She was selected as Female Athlete of the Year at Posen Consolidated Schools in 1983 and was appointed by former Governor Rick Snyder to serve on the Michigan Public Health Advisory Council. Like the rest of her siblings, she continues to stay involved in her community and volunteers in a variety of ways.
Aside from high school basketball games, the Wozniaks also have officiated other sports such as volleyball, track, and softball, and basketball at the college level.
I’m not sure how many more years the Wozniaks will continue to officiate. Hopefully for the coaches, players and fans, they’ll continue until they can’t run up and down the court anymore.
I can’t imagine how many whistles they’ve went through, or how many shoes they’ve bought along the way. The miles they’ve put on their vehicles, or the worn out tires they’ve replaced. The time they’ve missed with their families, or the TV shows they couldn’t watch. The quick meals eaten on the road, or the leftovers waiting at home.
Jonathan Lockwood Huie once said, “The path to your own happiness is usually found in service.” With all those years of officiating games and volunteering in their community, the Wozniaks understand the value of service. My guess is they’ve never heard of Johnathan Lockwood Huie, but his quote is deeply embedded in their DNA. They learned it from their parents; it’s the Wozniak way. Get involved, stay close to family and cherish your time together.
It’s the same formula that Stanley and Virginia used to spend 68 years together in marriage. So, Mr. and Mrs. Wozniak, thanks for teaching your children all those life lessons. To their spouses and families, thanks for sharing them. To the Wozniak crew, thanks for all the years you’ve dedicated to high school sports!
I can only imagine what they’ve seen and experienced during this time span. My guess is they could write a book filled with memories. The long drives, the late nights, the fall colors, the cornfields, the pumpkin patches, the icy roads, the snowstorms, the road construction, the price of gas, the vehicle mishaps, the missed deer, the big bucks, the coaches both good and bad, the great players and the not-so-great, the big games, the ejections, the technicals, the broken scoreboards, the athletic directors, the uniform styles, those ugly tube socks, the hairstyles, the rule changes, the news clips, the gyms, the good fans and the bad ones, the songs on the radio, the tickets, those aching body parts, who drove the most, who napped the most and the friendships made along the way.
Finding a family like the Wozniaks is rare. Becoming an official is one thing; doing it for 30 to 40 years is remarkable. What an impressive run – what a commitment to high school sports. So many games, so many stories, a lifetime of memories in the gym, on the track, at the softball field and in the car.
Eventually, the time will come when they decide to hang up their whistles for good. After it happens, I can picture them all sitting around the table on a cold winter night, drinking a cup of hot coffee, reflecting on their careers and all those games, all those memories, all those years, the stories, the laughs, and the time spent together as a family.
PHOTOS provided by Tim Miller.
Century of School Sports: Sharp Leadership Synonymous with MHSAA's Success
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 2, 2025
Just as an organization often will rise and remain successful when there is consistent leadership, so is consistent leadership often a hallmark of a successful organization.
In celebrating a “Century of School Sports,” it’s no stretch to say the Michigan High School Athletic Association has been successful in its continued promotion and administration of educational athletics thanks in part to consistent excellent leadership in the form of only five fulltime executive directors, and two more directors who also took turns leading the organization through some of its most difficult moments.
Two of the MHSAA’s first four executive directors (who are retired, and therefore eligible for the honor) have been inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). The first fulltime director – Charles E. Forsythe – became Michigan’s first Hall of Fame selection in 1983. The most recently-retired executive director – Jack Roberts – was selected in 2022.
All five executive directors have had monumental impacts on the direction of school sports in Michigan, not just during their time leading the MHSAA but in their various roles leading up to their service at the top of the organization. The below summaries do not come close to stating their full contributions, but merely some of the highlights for which they are most remembered:
Charles E. Forsythe (1931-42, 1945-68)
The MHSAA’s first fulltime executive director literally wrote the book on leadership of school sports programs – “The Administration of High School Athletics” was first published in 1939 and in five more editions as it became a popular college-level textbook. Previously an accomplished athlete, coach, official and athletic director, Forsythe joined the MHSAA staff in 1929 as an assistant director – and during his long tenure leading the office, school sports became part of the lifeblood of communities large and small all over the state. High school membership increased under his leadership, from 600 to 750 schools, and attendance for the MHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament – the headlining high school event of the day – increased from 126,000 for all rounds in 1930 to more than 775,000 at the time of his retirement. While advances were made in football and boys basketball, and in less-visible sports as well – all driving increased participation – the most notable work under Forsythe’s leadership made sports safer for all participants. Many of the most publicized safety initiatives came in football – including significant equipment requirements – but under his leadership the MHSAA in 1940-41 became just the second state nationally to add an accident benefit plan for participants. Forsythe died unexpectedly in December 1968, only a few months after his retirement. He is the namesake for the MHSAA’s annual lifetime achievement award.
Allen W. Bush (1968-78)
The MHSAA’s second fulltime executive director is the namesake for annual awards presented to contributors to school sports whose accomplishments are often behind the scenes and outside of the attention paid to championships and other high achievements. But Bush’s most-known accomplishments have received some of the greatest attention in MHSAA history, and deservedly so. During his tenure, the MHSAA added its first nine championship tournaments in girls sports, created the Football Playoffs and also began awarding Finals championships in baseball, ice hockey and skiing. Bush joined the MHSAA staff in 1960, serving under Forsythe as an assistant and then associate director.
Vern L. Norris (1978-86)
Norris, who died in 2018 at the age of 89, was known especially for his work with coaches and officials. He had coached at three high schools and was a tremendous official himself, having refereed the 1963 Class A Boys Basketball Final. The MHSAA’s annual Vern L. Norris Award honors an official who has been especially active in mentoring and training officials. Norris joined the MHSAA in 1963 and served under both Forsythe and Bush – the latter as associate director – also playing key roles in the creation of girls sports championships during the 1970s and expansion of those opportunities during the 1980s. He also played a significant role in rules-making nationally, contributing on several NFHS committees, and after leaving the MHSAA served as commissioner of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
John E. “Jack” Roberts (1986-2018)
At the time of Roberts’ retirement, he was the nation’s longest-serving executive director – and with accomplishments in his state and nationally that were arguably unmatched. Under his leadership, the MHSAA grew more than 15 percent to more than 1,500 high schools and junior high/middle schools, and the state’s high school sports participation grew 10 percent and annually ranked higher than states with larger high school-aged populations. The MHSAA again became a national leader in health and safety, setting the pace in concussion care, heat management and CPR certification requirements and policies. The MHSAA also took national leads in coaches education and sportsmanship. Three girls sports and two boys sports were added to the tournament lineup during his tenure, as were 8-player football playoffs and an expansion of the 11-player tournament. Roberts had grown up studying the example of his father John, who served as executive director of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association for 29 years, and Jack Roberts also served at the NFHS and Fellowship of Christian Athletes before taking over the MHSAA. Few have given their voice to school sports more prevalently: At the time of his retirement, Roberts had spoken in support of educational athletics in nearly every state and five Canadian providences.
Mark Uyl (2018-)
While his tenure as executive director has not yet reached a decade, Uyl already has steered the MHSAA through one of its most challenging times – the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the cancelation of the end of the Winter 2019-20 season and all sports the ensuing spring. However, under Uyl’s direction – and while other states remained sidelined – MHSAA schools safely returned to activity during the fall of 2020-21, and despite delays completed their championship events for all three seasons that school year. Also a highly-respected game official on a national scale – and past coach and administrator in Michigan – Uyl joined the MHSAA staff in 2004 and has led the way as participation and officials registrations both have continued to rebound from significant decreases during COVID. His tenure also has seen the addition of an Individual Finals division for girls wrestling and the addition of girls field hockey and boys volleyball set for the 2025-26 school year.
Additional notes of recognition must be paid to two more leaders whose contributions came at some of the most delicate times over this successful century:
Julian W. Smith served as interim executive director while Forsythe served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Smith – who had served on the MHSAA Representative Council for 10 years – received a three-year leave of absence from his role as principal at Battle Creek Lakeview High School and led the MHSAA through an unpredictable wartime era that included the cancelation of statewide championship events in boys basketball and track & field in 1943, but also their return a year later. He continued the promotion of physical fitness that was emphasized as a mission of school sports especially in preparation for service in the military, and during his time as executive director was named to the National Council of Physical Fitness.
Then there is Alden W. “Tommy” Thompson, perhaps the most influential yet forgotten leader in MHSAA history. Thompson had served on the Board of Control for the MHSAA’s predecessor organization, the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and was then appointed as the first state director of interscholastic athletics, under supervision of the state superintendent and Michigan Department of Public Instruction, about three weeks before the official start of the MHSAA in December 1924.
Charles Forsythe credited Thompson with building the MHSAA “from scratch,” and legendary Lansing State Journal sports editor George Alderton praised Thompson for developing “an eligibility code that was positively fool proof,” classifying schools by enrollment to provide equal opportunities for small and large to win championships, organizing the state basketball tournament to make it financially beneficial to schools which in turn allowed them to spend to develop other sports, and giving a statewide stage to some of those less-visible sports including cross country, tennis and golf. Alderton wrote, “Tommy was the fellow who paved the way, ironed out the humps and gave the machine a push before the motor of popular interest began running.”
Forsythe served as Thompson’s assistant for two years before taking over as state director of athletics in 1931 as Thompson became the state director of physical and health education. However, both would lose their employment with the state’s department of public instruction in 1933 due to budgetary cuts – Thompson, to go on to several more pursuits in athletics, but Forsythe to remain as state director of athletics but now paid fully by the MHSAA, making him officially the association’s first fulltime executive director.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
March 25: Athletic Directors Indispensable to Mission of School Sports - Read
March 18: 2025 Finals Begin Next Half-Century of Girls Hoops Championships - Read
March 11: Boys Basketball's Best 1st to Earn MHSAA Finals Titles - Read
March 5: Everything We Do Begins with Participation - Read
Feb. 25: Slogans & Logos Remain Unforgettable Parts of MHSAA History - Read
Feb. 19: MHSAA Tickets Continue to Provide Fan-Friendly Value - Read
Feb. 11: We Recognize Those Who Make Our Games Go - Read
Feb. 4: WISL Conference Continues to Inspire Aspiring Leaders - Read
Jan. 28: Michigan's National Impact Begins at NFHS' Start - Read
Jan. 21: Awards Celebrate Well-Rounded Educational Experience - Read
Jan. 14: Predecessors Laid Foundation for MHSAA's Formation - Read
Jan. 9: MHSAA Blazes Trail Into Cyberspace - Read
Dec. 31: State's Storytellers Share Winter Memories - Read
Dec. 17: MHSAA Over Time - Read
Dec. 10: On This Day, December 13, We Will Celebrate - Read
Dec. 3: MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council - Read
Nov. 26: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory - Read
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program - Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read
PHOTOS Clockwise from top left: (1) Left to right, Al Bush, Charles Forsythe and Vern Norris take a photo together. (2) Norris, left, and Bush hold up Finals trophies. (3) Jack Roberts, left, stands with Mark Uyl during Roberts' induction into the National High School Hall of Fame. (4) Roberts, left, and Norris sit for a photo as Roberts began his tenure after Norris retired. (MHSAA file photos.)