OHSAA Directors of Officiating Development

The sports of Baseball, Football, Basketball, Field Hockey, Gymnastics, Ice Hockey, Soccer, Fast Pitch Softball, Swimming & Diving, Track & Field, Volleyball and Wrestling have an individual responsible for the training and education of those sports officials. The DOD assists with meeting topics, classes and virtually every aspect of officiating enhancement.

Baseball - Kyle McNeely

Email: jkyle1974@aol.com

2013 Bulletins: April 1  |  April 11  |  April 19  |  April 26  |  May 3  |  May 10  |  Three-Man Pregame Conference

2012 Bulletins: March 23  |  April 3  |  April 12 | April 20 | May 1  |  May 7 | Four Man Crew General Provisions | Four Man Crew Mechanics | Three Umpire PowerPoint

2011 Bulletins: April 13  |  April 19  |  April 26  |  May 5  |  May 12

Bio Note: Current Chairman of the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS) National Baseball Rules Committee. Has been involved with rules and mechanics at a national level since 1985 and has served as the Rules Advisor and Historian for the National Rules Committee and co-authored the NFHS Umpire Manual. Elected to the OHSAA Officials’ Hall of Fame in 2007. Has umpired baseball at all levels for 30 years, including numerous state tournaments. Worked his first international tournament in Taiwan in 2004 for the High School World Championships. Also officiates high school football, having worked one state championship and one NCAA Division III playoff.

Basketball - Denny Morris

Email: dmorris005@woh.rr.com

Website: www.OHSAAbasketball.com

2011-12 Bulletins: Fall 2011

2010-11 Bulletins: Fall 2010  |  Winter 2011  |  February 2011

Bio Note: A 2009 inductee into the OHSAA’s Officials Hall of Fame. Has been an OHSAA basketball official since 1975 and a state rules interpreter since 2005. Worked OHSAA state championship games in 2002, 2005 and 2007 and has been an instructor at numerous OHSAA basketball officiating clinics as well as the Official’s First Conference in 2003, 2005 and 2007.

Field Hockey - William Gardiner

Email: wgard4121@sbcglobal.net

Bio Note: Has been officiating lacrosse for 13 years and field hockey for 11 years. Currently holds a Level 2 rating from USA Field Hockey. Is a retired mathematics teacher from Western New York.

Football - Dr. Bruce Maurer

Email: bmaurer38@gmail.com

[ Football Standards and Mechanics Handbook ]
Mechanics: Back Judge  |  Line Judge  |  Linesman  |  Referee  |  Umpire

2011 "Between the Uprights" - Sept 1

2011 Playoff Bulletins - Nov. 2 | Nov. 11 | Nov. 17 | Nov. 22 | Nov. 30

Bio Note: Recently retired after 39 years as the Associate Director for Capital & Strategic Projects at The Ohio State University Department of Recreational Sports. Officiated high school, collegiate and professional football for 38 years, including 15 years in the NFL. Taught officiating courses at OSU for 33 years. Also officiated high school and collegiate basketball for 39 years and has served as the OHSAA's wrestling state tournament director for 31 years (was inducted into the Ohio High School Wrestling Officials Hall of Fame in 2008).

Gymnastics - Lori Powers-Basinger

Email: Ljapb@aol.com

Bio Note: A 24-year OHSAA official who also served as president of the Advisory Committee to OHSAA for girls gymnastics for 8 years. Recipient of the OHSAA Service award for career contributions to high school gymnastics in Ohio. Former head coach at St. Francis DeSales High School (18 years) earning district and state coach of the year awards.  Coached many state qualifying teams and individuals- having 2 state runner-up team finishes and 10 state individual champions. A USA Gymnastics national rated judge who officiates all ages and levels of competition- from recreational to NCAA. Currently serves as the State Judging Director of Ohio for the National Association of Women’s Gymnastics Judges.

Ice Hockey - Gary Wilkins

Email: gary.wilkins@mt.com

Bio Note: Brings 45 years of officiating experience at the USA Hockey, collegiate and high school level. Has been an Ohio high school official for 36 years (two years prior to the OHSAA conducting a state tournament). Has officiated 18 OHSAA State Final Playoffs. Is a member of the National Federation ice hockey rules committee, while also serving as an OHSAA officials assigner and rules interpreter.  Is an Assistant Commissioner with the Capital Hockey Conference and Director of the Columbus Ice Hockey Officials Association. 

Soccer - Don Muenz

Email: butsir@columbus.rr.com

2011 Bulletins: Postseason Rules Checklist

Bio Note: Has been a licensed OHSAA referee since 1984, NFHS state faculty instructor since 1998, a certified assigner since 1985, a USSF referee since 1978 and a USSF instructor since 2000. Has officiated numerous NCAA tournament regional matches and one women’s national championship game. Was honored by Major League Soccer as one of Ohio’s Top 100 Soccer Leaders in 2000. Served two terms as president of the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Officials Association and was a NISOA referee for 23 years. Has officiated 10 OHSAA state tournament matches, served as fourth official on numerous regional and state final matches and has been the OHSAA state rules interpreter since 1996.

Softball - Jerry Fick

Email: swdoc@fuse.net

2013 Bulletins: January 11  |  January 19  |  February 11  |  March 19  |  March 28  |  April 4  |  April 10  |  April 17  |  April 24  |  April 29  |  May 8  |  May 13

2012 Bulletins: March 15  |  March 23 |  March 30 | April 5 | April 13 | April 20 | April 30 | May 4 | May 7- ASA Three Umpire Powerpoint | May 11

2011 Bulletins:  March 8  |  March 18  |  March 23  |  March 30  |  April 3  |  April 10  |  April 20  |  April 27  |  May 4  |  May 17

Bio Note: Has been involved in training umpires and officiating administration since 1971. Was named to the Amateur Softball Association's national umpire Staff in 2002 and has since been assigned to work with umpires across the country and in Europe. Is the current vice chair of the ASA Fast Pitch Rules Committee. Has been an OHSAA District Officials Secretary for 25 years and a state softball interpreter since 2003. Developed the proposal for the OHSAA Officials Hall of Fame in 1987 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995.

Swimming & Diving - Ken Gipe

Email: kgipe@cros.net

Bio Note: An OHSSCA Hall of Fame inductee and recipient of the Larry Lyons Service Award, OHSAA Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity Award and the Carl Wirthwein Award. Has been an active OHSAA swimming and diving official for 25 years, having served as both the swimming referee and the diving referee at the state meet. Is the state rules interpreter and supervisor of officials for the state meet. Also officiated at the NCAA level for over 30 years. Served as president of the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association and was a member of the NISCA All-American Diving Selection panel for 4 years. Is retired from Port Clinton schools after 30 years as a teacher and coach.

Track & Field - Dale Gabor

Email: dgabor@ignatius.edu

Bio Note: Is the OHSAA’s administrator for cross country and track & field and serves as the head rules interpreter in both sports. Is an instructor in the OHSAA’s Fundamentals of Coaching program. Retired after 25 years as the athletic director at Cleveland St. Ignatius High School. Was a 2010 inductee into the Northeast District Athletic Administrators Hall of Fame. Is a lifetime member of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.

Volleyball - Diane Plas

Email: jplas@prodigy.net

Bio Note: Has been an OHSAA volleyball state rules interpreter since 1995. Has been a collegiate volleyball and basketball coordinator for 29 years and has officiated women’s collegiate volleyball and basketball for 21 years.

Wrestling - James Vreeland

Email: vree66@gmail.com

[ Wrestling & Dental Mouth Guards PowerPoint ]

2012-13 Bulletins: Nov. 15 | Nov. 28 | Jan. 2  |  Feb. 1

2011-12 Bulletins: Nov. 12 | Dec. 1 | Jan. 3 | Feb. 1

2010-11 Bulletins: November  |  Dec. 1  |  Dec. 14  |  Dec. 15  |  Dec. 20  |  Jan. 6  |  Jan. 19  |  Jan. 24

Bio Note: Has spent more than 40 years as an educator, coach and high school official. Has been a faculty member in private, parochial and public systems. Has been an official for 40 years and has been a state wrestling tournament official since 1988. Has served his local association as president and rules interpreter. Has been a contributing member to the NFHS wrestling training program, has co-authored Ohio’s wrestling training curriculum and authored numerous articles for the Officials' Quarterly magazine. Has been a presenter at Ohio's Official’s First Conference several times and Michigan's 'Train the Trainers' program. Has served as the OHSAA wrestling faculty responsible for the development of educational training program for new wrestling officials. Also served as education director for the Ohio Wrestling Officials‘ Association. Has been recognized as Ohio’s wrestling official of the year, selected to the Ohio Wrestling Hall of Fame, Ohio Wrestling Officials’ Hall of Fame and the OHSAA Officials’ Hall of Fame.