Century of School Sports: Michigan's National Impact Begins at NFHS' Start
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 28, 2025
The beginning of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) predated the start of the MHSAA by about 4½ years. But Michigan played a leading role in creating the national organization for school-based sports and arts activities – and through its work with the NFHS continues to impact how school sports are played across the country.
On May 14, 1920, representatives from the Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin high school associations met to discuss common issues – especially national championships and eligibility rules in football, as returning World War I veterans were seeking to play on high school teams; and, according to meeting minutes, because “high school athletics were being handled in an unsatisfactory manner in contests under the auspices of colleges and universities.” At this time, Michigan school sports were governed by the MHSAA’s predecessor organization – the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) – and president A.W. Krauss, the principal at Grand Rapids South High School, represented our state.
Building on their desire to form common rules to govern athletics, those five states together formed the framework for the Mid-West Federation of State High School Associations, and the MIAA officially voted to join the organization March 31, 1921, becoming one of the four founding states (Indiana was absent when the Mid-West Federation constitution was adopted). Just about a year later, on March 1, 1922, with 11 states now present, the Mid-West Federation changed its name to the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations – which became the current NFHS in 1970.
Representing the MIAA at the 1922 Federation meeting was Ann Arbor High School principal L.L. Forsythe – cited frequently for his outsized contributions during this “Century of School Sports” series – and he was elected as Federation vice president, a role in which he served for 15 years. Obviously his impact in that role was significant for the growing organization, which now includes associations from all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Another Michigan school sports luminary, retired executive director John E. Jack Roberts, also had significant ties to the NFHS. He served on staff from 1973-80 and was heavily involved with the implementation of Title IX at the local and state levels. He also made immense contributions as the NFHS representative to the landmark Amateur Sports Act of 1978, and played a significant role in the NFHS rules-writing process as the organization started writing and publishing rules for a number of new sports during the 1970s. Roberts began his 32-year tenure leading the MHSAA in 1986.
The NFHS’s primary contribution to state associations remains today as writer of game rules for nearly all school sports, and those rules govern the majority of MHSAA-sponsored programs. (Competitive cheer is exclusive to Michigan, and golf, tennis and bowling are regulated by national governing organizations).
By agreeing to follow NFHS game rules, the MHSAA receives the opportunity to help make them, serving turns on rules-making committees with other representatives from the NFHS’s Section 4 – which also includes Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. Michigan also sends a rotating representative to serve on the national record book committee.
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
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
(Map graphic courtesy of NFHS.)
Parents, Make a Pledge
October 24, 2012
By Scott Westfall
MSU Institute for the Study of Youth Sports
NOTE: This is the second of a two-part viewpoint explaining the importance of coaches and parents setting proper examples for young athletes in their treatment of game officials. Click to read Part 1.
From time to time, even the most well-intentioned parents yell at officials things they are not proud of later.
As the head coach, it is essential to communicate expectations at the annual preseason parent meeting. Let parents know you want this to be classy program, and you need their help. Inform them that you, your assistant coaches, and the players (their children) will not be yelling at officials, and that you would be grateful if they would do the same.
Let them know that although other teams and their fans might holler at the officials, this team will be above the fray.
Encourage parents to applaud players from both sides. While they undoubtedly want your team to win, it is a sign of class to applaud the opposition for a good effort and/or performance at the end of the contest. In addition, ask your parents to sign a Parent Pledge Form stating that they will hold themselves to a higher standard. See an example below:
I. I pledge to respect the sport. I understand the importance of setting a good example for my child. No matter what others may do, I will show respect for all involved including coaches, players, opposing coaches, opposing players, opposing fans and officials. I understand that officials make mistakes. If the official makes a bad call against our team, I will respect the sport and remain silent.
Initials: ________ Initials: ________
II. I pledge to contribute to a positive team culture. I will not be the parent in the stands or behind the scenes who puts down the kids or the team. I understand this creates a negative atmosphere and can damage a team’s culture. If I have any problem, I pledge to either bring it to the coach with a solution-oriented mindset, or choose to remain silent. In either case, I will contribute only in a positive way to my child’s team culture.
Initials: ________ Initials: ________
After instituting this practice, the first season might seem like more of an experiment. The second season may become a work in progress. But by the time the kids and parents have been in the program for three and four years, it will have become the norm and soon a tradition that is gladly passed down to the new families in the program.
The mantra of your parents will change, and they will take pride in acting differently than what they see at other schools. Other teams will see your parents stand up and applaud participants from both sides during wins and losses, and this act of class will become your team’s identity.
Respecting authority is essential in any society. This respect must be given to judges, policemen and school principals, to teachers, coaches and even referees.
Reinstituting this respect for officials is going to be a challenge, but a challenge that is worthwhile. A coach has the power to transform a program, which will in turn affect the way assistant coaches, parents, and fans conduct themselves.
In the end, the individuals who will receive the greatest benefit are the ones you are doing your job for in the first place – the kids.
Scott Westfall has spent the last 10 years as a teacher, coach, and athletic director in Fort Collins, Colo. He currently is working on his Doctorate at Michigan State University, with an emphasis in Sport Psychology and Athletic Administration, and assisting the MHSAA with its student leadership programs. Westfall is a former athlete who participated in football, wrestling, tennis and cross country at the high school level, and rugby at the collegiate level. He can be reached at [email protected].