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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-December 1, 2003
Contact: John Johnson or Jack Roberts
517.332.5046 or www.mhsaa.com

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Dec. 1 – Mark Uyl, already recognized as an outstanding athletic administrator at Thornapple Kellogg High School in Middleville, and an accomplished official, teacher and coach, has been named an assistant director at the Michigan High School Athletic Association. He will begin his duties in late January, 2004.

Uyl will have responsibilities for the administration of several post-season tournaments, and oversight of programming and services to the over 12,000 registered game officials at the high school level in Michigan.

Uyl is a 1996 graduate of Calvin College, where he was a four-year starter in baseball, serving as a team captain and earning all-conference honors on two occasions. His Bachelor’s Degree was earned in History and Physical Education. He received a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Grand Valley State University in 2001.

Most of Uyl’s educational career has been at Thornapple Kellogg Schools in Middleville. He started there as a high school history and physical education teacher after graduating from Calvin, and he also was an assistant football coach. He spent the 2000-01 school year as athletic director at Caledonia High School and Middle School, and then returned to Thornapple Kellogg to assume the athletic director’s and assistant principal’s post there.

While at Thornapple-Kellogg, Uyl has been instrumental in upgrades to the district’s athletic facilities, including the installation of an artificial playing surface at the high school football stadium.

As an official, Uyl has been registered in at least three sports with the MHSAA every year since 1992, and worked the Baseball Finals in 1999. He has also served as a collegiate baseball umpire at all levels since 1996, and has professional experience at the minor league level. He is also active with the West Michigan Umpires Association.

Uyl has also been active in his community as an elected member of the Thornapple Area Recreation Committee.

“Some would call Mark Uyl one of the up-and-coming high school athletic administrators in our state – I would simply call him one of the best,” said John E. “Jack” Roberts, MHSAA executive director. “Mark displays a passion for his work and a maturity that exceeds his years. We have secured the services of one fine individual who will serve our schools and our officials well for many years to come.”

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,200 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.

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