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Norris Winner Excels in Valuable Roles
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 19, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The first thing Michael Gentry did after showing up for a freshman/junior varsity football doubleheader was pull out a new white hat, presenting it to a young official working as the referee for the first time – the first act of encouragement that eased the up-and-comer’s anxiety throughout the game.
Another former pupil wrote of how, no matter if a game was five minutes or 50 from his mentor’s house, Gentry always was there – and a list of observations and pointers would be under that young official’s windshield wipers when he arrived at his car to go home.
Gentry always has made it a priority to help young officials realize their potential, wrote another, often giving those eager to learn places on his crew.
“To this day, I derive more pleasure from passing on what I know and helping people take advantage of the resources that are there for them nowadays,” Gentry said. “I had dinner with one of (the officials I mentored) … and he told me he still has the pen-and-paper evaluations I did and still reviews them to this day, and that just stuns me. I never realized the impact you can have on fledgling officials.”
That impact, along with his continued success as one of Michigan’s top high school officials in a variety of sports, has earned Gentry the MHSAA’s Vern L. Norris Award for 2017.
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.
Gentry will be honored at the Officials’ Awards & Alumni Banquet on May 6 at Eagle Eye Golf Club in East Lansing. He is in his 38th year as an MHSAA-registered official, this school year for football, basketball and baseball, and has worked MHSAA Finals in four tournaments (boys and girls basketball separately) and 10 championship games total during his tenure serving Michigan’s high school athletes.
A member of the Metro Detroit Officials Association, Gentry has officiated MHSAA Finals in baseball (1992, 1999, 2003, 2010), football (1994, 2005, 2010, 2016), boys basketball (2008) and girls basketball (2013) and most recently the Division 4 Football Final on Nov. 25 between Grand Rapids Catholic Central and Detroit Country Day at Ford Field.
He’s also mentored or assisted in guiding a number of young officials from his community over the years and frequently served as a presenter and clinician at local and MHSAA clinics and officials meetings.
“Michael Gentry’s work encompasses all that is recognized by the Vern L. Norris Award,” MHSAA Executive Director John E. “Jack” Roberts said. “He’s at the top of his game on the field. But his contributions off the field recruiting and mentoring young officials are just as significant. Ask those who have had an opportunity to receive his guidance, and they’ll describe him as selfless, dedicated and truly invested in building up the next generation.”
Gentry initially hoped to stay in athletics as a coach after graduating from Harper Woods Notre Dame High School in 1971. He had played basketball as a freshman in high school and also as part of Detroit’s Catholic Youth Organization athletic program growing up, and he had coached CYO teams for nearly a decade when one of his players’ parents who also served as a local referee suggested Gentry give officiating a try.
He first registered as an MHSAA official for the 1978-79 school year and was mentored early on by Detroit’s Ted Wilson, the eventual first recipient of the Norris Award in 1992.
“He was very instrumental in getting me games, higher profile games, games when I started out at the junior high level, and really forging a path for me,” Gentry said. “As a matter of fact, the first Regional in basketball I worked was with Ted, and although I don’t know it for a fact, I’m pretty darn sure he was the reason I was on that game with him.”
Following Wilson’s lead, Gentry took an interest in not just officiating, but teaching others how to do so. His current football crew includes six officials he helped mentor, including three who are 25 or younger.
A number of officials who have been mentored by Gentry and the Macomb association have gone on to work not just high-level high school games, but at the college level. One of them, Nick Meyer, now officiates in the National Basketball Association’s D-League.
Gentry, who also has officiated at the Division III college level, took classes at Macomb Community College and Wayne State University after high school before taking a fulltime job at General Motors. For the last 20 years he has worked for Carmela Specialty Foods in Clinton Township, currently as the chief operating officer of the wine division.
While that role has come with more responsibility, his fulltime bosses have been supportive of his officiating avocation – and Gentry plans to keep on as long as he’s able.
“It’s a question I ask myself all the time – why do I love it – and basically, it’s like an addiction,” Gentry said. “When the season is over, I get near depression; I just wait for the next season to start. I don’t know what it is. Part of it is the job and doing it well as an individual, and getting together with other people as a unit and doing a good job. There’s satisfaction in that.
“As a football crew we joke, when we hear coaches say, ‘Here comes Gentry’s crew,’ we take that as a good sign. They realize they’re not getting away with anything.”
Gentry was inducted into the Detroit Catholic High School League Hall of Fame in 1996. He also is a dedicated contributor to his parish community at St. Isidore Church in Macomb.
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
High school game officials with 20, 30, 40, 45 and 50 years of service also will be honored at the Officials’ Awards & Alumni Banquet on May 6.
Seventeen officials with 50 or more years of service will be honored, along with 26 officials with 45 years. A 40-year award will be presented to 68 officials. In addition, 97 officials with 30 years and 190 officials with 20 years of experience will be honored. With the induction of this year’s group of 398, the honor roll of officials who have aided young student-athletes grows to 10,595 since the inception of the banquet in 1980.
Tickets for the banquet are available to the public and priced at $20. They will not be sold at the door. Tickets can be ordered by calling the MHSAA office at (517) 332-5046 or by sending the order form. Deadline to order is April 27.
MICHIGAN HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
20, 30, 40, 45 & 50-YEAR OFFICIALS
The officials on this list will receive their 20, 30, 40, 45 or 50-year service awards at the 38th annual Officials’ Awards & Alumni Banquet on May 6 at Eagle Eye Golf Club in East Lansing.
20 YEAR OFFICIALS
Adrian - Bill Collins
Adrian - Paul D. Noce
Albion - Mary Ann Egnatuk
Allen - Christopher L. Adams
Allendale - Arnulfo S. Perez
Alma - Jillane S. McDonald-Sandro
Alma - Jennifer L. Shearer
Ann Arbor - David M. Siegle
Auburn Hills - Michael J. Rossi
Battle Creek - Jonathan E. Dolbee
Battle Creek - Dustin M. Fox
Battle Creek - Michael J. Whalen
Belleville - Keith J. Kennedy
Blissfield - Neil L. Heiden
Britton - Rex A. Forsyth
Bronson - Michael G. Sellers
Brownstown Township - Anthony J. Jesue
Byron Center - Michael S. Sturm
Canton - Bryan C. Earl
Canton - Michael F. Guzowski
Charlotte - James E. Hoyt
Chassell - Vickie L. Lobeck
Clare - Christopher T. Gibson
Clarkston - Darwin Conley
Clinton - Dan J. Jurasek
Clinton Township - Vincent J. Garofalo
Clio - David L. Prevost
Comstock Park - Sam Weatherwax
Constantine - William H. Wright
Coopersville - Ben Hondorp
Davison - Steven K. Barbeau
Dearborn - Kevin R. Wilkinson
Dearborn Heights - Julie A. Ader
Detroit - Sean L. Murphy
DeWitt - Patrick M. McDonnell
Dexter - David R. Steptoe
East China - Wayne D. Biscorner
East Jordan - Phyllis A. Olszewski
Essexville - Roland W. Swartout
Farmington - Dennis K. Miller
Farmington Hills - Ken R. Holzheimer
Farmington Hills - Kevin N. Short
Fenton - James M. Anderson
Flint - Ricky E. McQueary
Flint - John L. Perrine
Fountain - Sean R. Sutcliffe
Fowlerville - Nick Douglass
Fremont - Jan L. Burch
Garden City - Gregory Kozub
Gaylord - John B. Carrick
Gladstone - Russell W. Hall
Gladstone - Gerald E. Kulbertis
Grand Blanc - Brian S. Kita
Grand Blanc - Albert L. Mason
Grand Ledge - Timothy D. Marsh
Grand Rapids - Michael Hillary
Grand Rapids - Marc E. Miedema
Grand Rapids - Marc Van Maldegen
Greenville - Greg L. King
Grosse Pointe Farms - John B. Rucinski
Gwinn - Kevin V. Thomma
Hanover - James D. Hose
Harper Woods - April A. Martin
Hillsdale - Daniel C. Laws
Holland - Timothy H. Howell
Holland - Michael R. Jaeger
Holland - Ronald A. Kamper
Holland - Stephen L. Todd
Holly - Anthony G. Engelberg
Holt - Michael A. Dunlap
Holt - Daniel Grady
Howell - John B. Gendron
Howell - Dan W. Jeffery Jr.
Howell - Kyle N. Richardson
Hudsonville - Kevin D. Bayko
Indian River - Gary L. Campbell
Ironwood - Daniel M. Finco
Jackson - Jeff L. McDaniels
Jackson - Jason C. Smith
Jackson - Randy R. Straub
Jonesville - Brian P. Stroble
Kalamazoo - Steven J. Bradstreet
Kalamazoo - Julie A. Cain-Derouin
Kalamazoo - Christopher G. Caldwell
Kalamazoo - Robert N. Cole Sr.
Kalamazoo - Mike E. Daugherty
Kalamazoo - Douglas G. Davidson
Kentwood - Dave C. Rost
Kentwood - Craig S. Workman
Kimball - Scott L. DesJardin
Kingsford - Greg J. Hendricks
Kingston - Tammy S. Brzezinski
Lansing - Terry R. Bernath
Lansing - William F. Burmeister
Lansing - Dawn M. Carson
Lansing - Nichole M. Fisher
Lapeer - James R. Farrand
LaSalle - Donald L. Jones
Livonia - Krista Hobbins
Livonia - Michael E. Sensoli
Lowell - Barry Hobrla
Ludington - James D. Bowen Jr.
Ludington - Les W. Johnson
Ludington - John E. Shay
Ludington - Paul R. Spaniola
Macomb - Douglas A. Crenshaw
Macomb - Joseph T. Latorre
Macomb - Richard T. Paperd
Macomb - Jeffrey J. Zielinski
Madison Heights - Joseph F. Young
Marinette - Al D. Mathy
Marlette - Susanne M. Burton
Marshall - Randy L. Blum
Mattawan - Paul P. Eggers
Mattawan - Chuck Rawsthorne
McBain - Paul Shaarda
Middleville - Jeffrey J. Kenyon
Midland - William A. Larson
Milan - Gary A. Blackford
Milford - John M. Cecil
Milford - Norman Kawaelde
Millington - Byron W. Drew
Monroe - Kenneth J. Bausman
Monroe - Michael G. Gaynier
Monroe - Christopher M. Haut
Monroe - Mark E. Leach
Morenci - Ryan W. Kast
Muskegon - Jeffery A. Dunn
Muskegon - Brad A. Swain
Muskegon - Michael S. Taylor
Muskegon - Leonard T. Vargas
Nashville - Steven L. Hopkins II
New Boston - David J. Sichterman
Novi - Donald A. Fralick
Oak Park - Jason F. Haluscsak
Owosso - Frank D. Tew Jr.
Paw Paw - Chad M. Szymczak
Pinckney - Michael L. Rose
Pittsford - John T. Hoeft
Plymouth - Paul E. Woodard
Port Huron - Jesus E. Castillo Jr.
Ravenna - Ken J. Punter
Reading - Eugene L. Miller
Redford - Michael R. Jackson
Redford - Michael Ross
Richland - John P. Nadzam
Richland - Anthony J. Vanlerberghe
Richmond - Gary R. Niebauer
Riverview - William M. Ellington
Riverview - Dominic Frontera
Rochester Hills - Robert T. Bobbitt
Rogers City - Cory A. Davis
Romulus - Donald L. Hamilton
Roscommon - Rodney C. Patterson
Roscommon - Stephen M. Reinke
Roseville - Michael J. Iwasko
Royal Oak - Michael M. Beaulieu
Saginaw - Robert (Terry) DeLand
Saginaw - Guy A. Marcoux
Scotts - Ruben D. Rosalin
Shelby Township - Beth M. Karle
Shelby Twp - Cary A. Stearnes
Shepherd - Gerald F. DeVall
Spring Arbor - Erika L. Raffin
St Louis - Kurt W. Ballien
Sterling Heights - Steven A. Matthews
Sterling Hts - Darron E. Bell
Sturgis - Darrell D. Peugeot
Sunfield - Bruce L. Elliott
Swartz Creek - Scott M. Lovely
Taylor - Michael T. Sarandrea
Toledo - Gregory S. Shoffer
Traverse City - Billie D. Drake
Traverse City - Edward N. O'Brien
Traverse City - Alan J. Waisanen
Troy - Craig R. Smith
Unionville - Douglas E. Coon
Waterford - Laurence K. Campbell
Waterford - Matthew R. Tilley
Wauseon - Ken D. Baumgartner
Weidman - Timothy W. Todd
West Bloomfield - Gary Devine
West Bloomfield - Alain Moore
White Lake - Ryan T. Negoshian
Whitehall - Kurt J. Huizenga
Williamston - Daniel L. Grooms
Wixom - Michael P. Fischer
Wyoming - Frederick S. Adrian
Wyoming - Jeffrey M. Hudson
Zeeland - Derk D. Teusink
30 YEAR OFFICIALS
Ada - Mike Terwilliger
Allegan - John M. Bishop
Ann Arbor - Jon M. Keith
Battle Creek - Malcomb K. Crawford
Bay City - Mark A. Bauer
Bay City - Rollin P. Fawcett
Big Rapids - Jeffrey S. Jennings
Boardman - Lynette S. Angood
Brownstown Township - Peter J. Bean
Buchanan - Randy L. Bicard
Burton - Darrick J. Puffer
Byron - Gregory A. Finch
Byron Center - Marvin J. Heasley
Casco Township - John E. Ward
Cedarville - LeRoy J. Pieri
Clark Lake - Mark G. Snyder
Clawson - Richard O. Szalma
Constantine - Dale W. Wentela
Dearborn - Mike E. Unger
Dearborn Heights - Phil L. Shannon
Eaton Rapids - William DeFrance
Escanaba - Gary D. Buckley
Farwell - Douglas J. Haggart
Flint - Joe H. Wheeler
Flushing - Steven J. Berriman
Flushing - Clarence E. Turner
Frankenmuth - Joe Ricard
Frankfort - Michael R. Fought
Frederic - Randall L. Holecheck
Gaylord - Ralph L. Galbraith
Gibraltar - Brian F. Herman
Grand Blanc - Brian J. Parr
Grand Rapids - Sharon K. Dekleine
Grandville - Geoffrey R. Goodyear
Grayling - Robert G. Gingerich
Grosse Pointe Woods - Tom C. Elsey
Holland - Michael D. Bos
Ida - Gary M. Miller
Ithaca - James J. Wideman
Jenison - Thomas A. Kragt
Kalamazoo - Loren L. Heun
Kalamazoo - Charles E. Kinnane
Lake Isabella - Kevin L. Fountain
Lake Leelanau - Glenn E. Huntley
Lake Orion - Lyle G. Sanderson
Lansing - Ronald R. Smoker
Livonia - Michael Wynn
Marquette - Barry C. James
Mason - Clinton M. Chadwell
Midland - Steve V. Weiger
Millington - Timothy P. Walter
Muskegon - Michael R. Cribbs
Muskegon - Matthew E. Preston
Nashville - Michael P. Meade Sr.
Negaunee - Glen Nelson
New Boston - William D. Spiecker
Newaygo - Raymond R. Bauer
Newberry - Rob J. Depew
Olivet - Douglas A. Thering
Owosso - Scott A. Schooley
Owosso - Robert K. Stinson
Pickford - Gregory M. Ledy
Pigeon - Catherine J. Dayak
Plymouth - Mike A. Kavulich
Portage - John J. Creek
Portage - Gregg D. Langley
Portage - John M. VanElk
Reading - Brian J. Hinkley
Romulus - Bill J. Miller
Roseville - Darin M. Gilbert Sr.
Royal Oak - Thomas Eschmann
Saginaw - Carl D. Miller
Saginaw - David A. O'Dell
Saginaw - Calvin L. Robinson
Sault Ste Marie - Billy R. Norton
Sawyer - Scott A. Ponegalek
Scottville - Benjamin E. Nelson
Shelby Township - James F. Plutschuck
Spring Arbor - Brad L. Buter
St Ignace - Gary L. McDonald
Standish - Rod L. Russell
Three Rivers - Kevin R. Tavernier
Traverse City - Roger D. Heeres
Traverse City - John T. Irwin
Traverse City - James D. Szur
Traverse City - Curtis A. Wolf
Vicksburg - Warner C. Offord Jr.
Warren - Kenneth J. Kaschalk
Waterford - Gillie A. David
Wayland - Richard T. May
West Bloomfield - Sheldon G. Larky
West Bloomfield - Lamont Simpson
Westland - Terrence E. Madigan
Wyoming - Gary A. Kuipers
Wyoming - Thomas J. Oosterbaan
Wyoming - Alan D. Woodcox
Zeeland - Carey M. Strykowski
40 YEAR OFFICIALS
Adrian - Don C. Fry
Alma - Bruce M. Moss
Almont - Thomas H. Abraham
Battle Creek - Joseph L. Kurti
Belding - Robert A. Youngs
Benton Harbor - Eleanor V. Dorow
Bristol - David J. Blough
Brooklyn - Thomas W. Crampton
Brown City - Richard Lee
Burton - Rosalie A. Howell
Burton - Steven A. Johnson
Clinton Township - Stephen D. Stuckey
Clio - Dale E. Sneller
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
Galesburg - Wayne C. Patterson
Gladstone - David P. Gagnon
Gowen - Lennda J. Brown
Grand Haven - David B. Parsons
Grand Rapids - Tommy Chambers
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
Jackson - Douglas J. VanArsdalen
Kalamazoo - Kirk G. Hart
Kalamazoo - Christine M. Juszczyk
Lambertville - Thomas C. Williams
Lansing - George D. Runciman
Lansing - Bryan L. Smith
Macomb - Dennis M. Steele
Mancelona - Robert W. Sanders
Manistee - Tom L. Guenthardt
Muskegon - Jeffery A. Burr
Negaunee - Philip M. DeGabriele
New Buffalo - Jack P. Kennedy
Northville - John M. Fundukian
Norton Shores - Richard L. Anderegg
Norton Shores - Jim Tate
Petersburg - Richard A. Ley
Plymouth - Thomas J. Poma
Port Huron - Ray S. Cornwell
Posen - Frank Wozniak
Rapid River - Jeffrey A. Schram
Saginaw - Charles S. Sherman
Saginaw - Suzanne R. Swanton
Saginaw - William Turner
Sebewaing - Paul K. Geiger
Shelby Township - Michael L. Hessen
St Clair - Garth E. Jones
St Clair Shores - Roy W. Vorhees
St Louis - Michael R. Allen
Sturgis - David R. Cherry
Trenton - Max Monas
Troy - Joseph E. Thilman
Troy - Dennis W. Wedell
Warren - Kenneth C. Baker
Warren - Larry R. Leeper
Williamston - Michael A. Nestell
45 YEAR OFFICIALS
Battle Creek - Charles M. Hobbs
Blissfield - Darrell W. Polter
Bloomingdale - Clyde Line
Brighton - Bruce D. Ritter
Colon - Lloyd D. Teller
Davison - Patrick J. McKenna
Farmington - Raymond A. Cranston
Fremont - Ronald E. Mousel
Grand Rapids - Michael J. Cronkright
Grand Rapids - Tom J. Essenburg
Grand Rapids - Bryan P. Lillis
Howell - James L. Downs
Iron Mountain - Kenneth E. Marchetti
Ithaca - John P. Raducha
Lansing - Daniel J. Jimenez
Plymouth - Brian F. Foust
Saginaw - John B. Musulin
Spring Lake - William J. Fritsma
Spruce - Leslie L. Miller
St Clair Shores - George Mihalic Jr.
St Joseph - Frederick A. Fenrick
Taylor - Alphonse P. Ruffner
Tekonsha - Brian C. Briegel
Warren - Thomas J. Lieckfelt
Westland - James J. McPartlin |
Wyoming - Robert L. Stewart
50 YEAR OFFICIALS
Adrian - James I. Kerekes
Alto - Paul L. VanOveren
Battle Creek - James P. Hayes
Caledonia - James P. Uyl
Florence - Dennis R. DeMerse
Grand Blanc - James Lott
Grand Rapids - Kenneth H. Terpstra
Haslett - Rodney H. Horton
Jenison - Frank P. Scalabrino
Middleton - Jim G. Niemiec
Negaunee - Roland K. Koski
Rochester Hills - Cecil R. Haggard
Rochester Hills - Walter E. Popyk
Rockford - Larry M. Taylor
Trenton - Arthur E. Wegienka
Ubly - Jerome J. Messing
West Bloomfield - Alan K. Kaczander
PHOTOS: (Top) Michael Gentry signals a change of possession while Detroit Country Day players cheer during this past season's Division 4 Final. (Middle) Gentry keeps an eye on the action as a side judge alongside back judge Nicole Randolph at Ford Field.
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Hutcheson Eager to Serve Statewide
April 20, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
On Tuesday, Dan Hutcheson was the public address announcer at a track and field meet. On Wednesday, he spent part of the morning painting a door.
As a teacher, coach, then assistant principal and athletic director, he’s performed in a wide variety of roles for Howell High School over the last two decades.
This fall, he’ll take on another set of similar but new and wide-ranging responsibilities as an assistant director for the MHSAA.
Hutcheson, who will join the staff in August, will take over administration of wrestling, girls and boys tennis and another sport to be determined. He’ll also contribute to the Coaches Advancement Program and Athletic Directors In-Service program among other duties.
“When I look at each step I’ve taken, it’s been an opportunity to serve more people,” Hutcheson said. “As a classroom teacher and a coach, and then moving up to assistant principal where I was serving more students. And then athletic director, where I was serving more students, and now serving the entire state. It’s pretty remarkable.”
The addition of Hutcheson is one of a few changes coming to the MHSAA staff for the start of the 2016-17 school year. Longtime official Sam Davis will join part-time in September to coordinate an expansion of services and support for officials, including in the key areas of recruitment and retention, while also assisting Hutcheson with wrestling.
Andrea Osters will be promoted in August to assistant director in charge of volleyball and another sport to be determined. Osters, the current social media & brand coordinator for the MHSAA and also the lead administrator for softball the last three years, will with Hutcheson take over most of the duties of current assistant director Gina Mazzolini, who will retire at the end of July.
At Howell, Hutcheson directs 90 athletic teams for grades 7-12. His high school, with more than 2,500 students, is one of the largest in our state. He has served as athletic director for the last decade after two years as an assistant principal, and he also coached the school’s wrestling program for eight seasons while teaching applied technology at the high school and later working for the Howell Recreation Department.
A plea from a professor during his first year as a student at Ferris State University set Hutcheson’s path toward education – although along the way he’s picked up a variety of skills that have benefitted his athletic program and the surrounding sports community as well.
He went to Ferris with thoughts of becoming a graphic designer and going into advertising. But by the end of his first term, as he watched classmates stay up into the morning hours working on projects while he was getting up at 6 a.m. for wrestling practice, he figured that career might not be the best fit.
Hutcheson still remembers the day in class when that instructor remarked that there was a huge need for technical education teachers. Hutcheson, who had always wanted to coach, saw that as his eventual niche.
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in technical education with an associate’s in graphic arts and printing technology, and later earned a master’s degree in public and educational administration at University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Hutcheson recently was named his region’s Athletic Director of the Year by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, and with Davis will bring extensive wrestling experience to the MHSAA. After competing at Howell and then Holt High School as a senior – making the MHSAA Individual Finals and finishing third at his weight as a senior in 1988 – Hutcheson was three-time NCAA Division II wrestling All-American and two-time Academic All-American while at Ferris State, and a three-time Greco-Roman Open All-American at the collegiate and post-graduate senior levels.
Hutcheson served as an assistant wrestling coach at Ferris State during the 1994-95 season and then coached the Michigan Wrestling Club from 1997-2000 guiding athletes in World Team and Olympic Trials competition. He led the Highlanders to the Division 1 Quarterfinals his first season as a high school coach, and currently serves as wrestling commissioner and overall president of the 24-school Kensington Lakes Activities Association and on MHSAA committees for wrestling and lacrosse.
He took over as athletic director at Howell from longtime administrator Doug Paige and has relied in part on work ethic learned from parents Don and Lynne Hutcheson and mentoring from college coach Dr. Jim Miller, who also is a professor of Optometry and with whom Hutcheson remains in regular contact.
Hutcheson has relished opportunities to put on big events, and one of his last as Howell athletic director will be as host of both MHSAA Boys Lacrosse Finals on June 11.
And tapping into those technical and design skills, Hutcheson also serves as webmaster and historian for the KLAA and created one of the most detailed league websites in the state.
“When we were doing (Paige’s) going-away party, I said his were big shoes to fill but my goal wasn't to fill the shoes, but to keep walking in the same direction,” Hutcheson said. “I feel the next person up will have a great foundation that’s here and will take it to the next level.
“I’m very excited about (joining the MHSAA staff). But I’ll probably take the same approach as what I did as athletic director here. Things have been done a certain way for a reason, and then we can look for ways to tweak things, fine-tune things.”
Champions who champion our games
An MHSAA Wrestling Finals individual champion for Lansing Eastern in 1969, Davis went on to wrestle briefly at Michigan State University before an eye injury ended his competitive career in that sport. However, he instead took up judo, winning state championships in 1980 and 1981 and competing at the U.S. Olympic trials. After graduating from MSU with bachelor and master’s degrees in 1974, Davis began his teaching career at Lansing Everett High School. He also coached wrestling and football and later served as an assistant principal at the school before serving as principal at Dwight Rich Middle School and then district athletic director over a 32-year career with Lansing Public Schools that concluded in 2007.
Davis received the MHSAA’s Vern L. Norris Award in 2015 for his work in officiating, including the mentoring and educating of other officials. He has been an MHSAA registered official for 36 years, working wrestling during the entirety of his career and baseball most of the last decade. Davis has officiated in all but a few of the MHSAA’s annual Wrestling Finals since receiving his first championship-level assignment in 1983. He currently serves as a major with the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office, serving as jail administrator, and will remain employed by the county while joining the MHSAA staff.
Osters has worked as part of the MHSAA staff since 2005 and has presented multiple times at National Federation annual meetings on her work as a nationally-recognized leader in high school sports association social media. She is a member of the Leadership Council of the NFHS Network, the national digital broadcasting initiative of the National Federation of State High School Associations, and has worked in coordination and planning of the MHSAA’s Captain’s Clinic series and other student leadership programs.
She also launched the “Officials for Kids” statewide fundraising initiative and handles all venue-specific ticketing for MHSAA statewide tournaments.
She was a high school champion as a starter on the Okemos softball team that won the MHSAA Division 1 championship in 1999 and then graduated from Michigan State in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and concentration in public relations. She served as Okemos’ freshman softball coach for four seasons, from 2002-05, and also wrote a weekly sports column for a local magazine from 2009-11. Osters is a current member of the board of directors for the Michigan Society of Association Executives and was a founding member of the MSAE’s Emerging Professionals Committee.
“Dan Hutcheson, Sam Davis and Andrea Osters are passionate advocates for the values of high school athletics,” MHSAA Executive Director John E. Jack Roberts said. “Dan is one of the most respected athletic administrators in Michigan and brings a collection of experiences and skills that will benefit all of our schools in a variety of areas. Sam has long championed officiating, and we’re excited for the possibilities his experience and abilities bring as we intensify our recruitment of new officials statewide to join the more than 10,000 who annually work our games.
“Andrea has provided the MHSAA with a variety of skills and leadership over more than a decade of service and played a prominent role in the move of the MHSAA Baseball and Softball Finals to Michigan State two years ago. We anticipate she’ll make a smooth transition in taking over new and added responsibilities.”
PHOTO: Howell’s Dan Hutcheson coaches one of his wrestlers during his tenure running that program from 1997-2004. (Photo courtesy of Dan Hutcheson.)