OHSAA Welcomes 12 New Members to Officials Hall of Fame

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Twenty-first Hall of Fame class to be honored later this month

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Twelve inductees will be enshrined in the OHSAA’s Officials Hall of Fame in a banquet and ceremony Saturday, June 27 at the Worthington Holiday Inn.

This is the 21st class to be inducted in the hall of fame, which is the only OHSAA sanctioned hall of fame. The OHSAA is also one of the few state athletic associations to have an Officials Hall of Fame, said Henry Zaborniak, the OHSAA assistant commissioner who oversees the nearly 16,500 officials in the state of Ohio.

“The annual OHSAA Hall of Fame Banquet and Enshrinement ceremony allows us to celebrate the leaders and contributors in the interscholastic officiating community,” Zaborniak said.

There are 285 local officials associations who nominate individuals to their district officiating boards, based on their contributions to high school athletics and officiating. From there, the district board will forward its recommendations to the hall of fame committee, who select the class of 12 inductees.

Game officials are not the only individuals considered for induction, but also those who contribute in other ways, such as teaching officiating courses, working as an assignor or helping recruit new officials.

The dinner and induction ceremony will also recognize those who have 50-plus years of experience, 25-plus years of experience and honor the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) Ohio Official of the Year in each sport.

Read on for more information about each of the 12 individuals who will be inducted into the hall of fame:

John Brown (Newark) - John Brown was nominated for the Officials Hall of Fame by the Licking County Umpires Association. He was a member of that association for over 30 years and served his association as an officer. During Brown’s 32 years as a baseball umpire, he worked sectional and district tournaments for 20-plus seasons. He officiated 17 regional tournaments and worked the OHSAA state baseball tournament.

Brown was awarded a Bronze Star for Valor and Heroism in Combat and is an active member of his community.

Alan Corwin (New Philadelphia) - Alan Corwin has patrolled the hardwood as a basketball referee for 28 years and umpired baseball games for 30 years. During his tenure, he has received assignments to 40-plus regional games and 15 state championships. He has served the Tuscarawas County Association as rules interpreter and secretary.

Corwin is a member of the East District Officials Committee and has served on the OHSAA Officials Advisory Committee. He was selected as the 2006 NFHS Ohio Baseball Umpire of the Year. Warsaw River View Athletic Director Ron Tisko wrote, “Al’s conduct as an official, his excellence, enthusiasm and professionalism bring credit to the officiating industry.”

Dan Drummond (Chillicothe) - Daniel J. Drummond began his officiating career in 1972. He has officiated more than 60 football tournament games during the past 25 seasons. Drummond has also officiated three state semifinals and five championship games. He is currently the rules interpreter for the Chillicothe Football Officials Association and also officiates basketball games.

In addition to officiating, Drummond is the golf coach at Unioto High School where he has been recognized as Scioto County Golf Coach of the Year 10 times. He is a member of the American Kinesiotherapy Association and the Ohio High School Golf Coaches Association.

David Kearney (Washington Court House) - David M. Kearney retired from basketball officiating after a 35-year career. He began officiating as a student at Wilmington College. In January 1973, he officiated his first varsity game. In 1978, he was assigned to his first tournament game and began working boys and girls regional tournaments in 1982. Kearney worked at least one regional contest every year after that until his retirement in 2004. He officiated three boys’ state basketball tournaments in his career.

He served as president of three officials associations and as secretary of the Chillicothe Association.

William Klamo (Fairfield) - William F. Klamo has over 90 combined years of officiating experience in the sports of baseball, basketball and football. During his 31-year football career, Klamo saw action for 20 years in postseason games. He worked six semifinals and three championship games. As a 34-year basketball official, he was assigned to 18 regional games and two state tournaments. For 33 out of 36 years, Klamo worked regional baseball games. He umpired 11 state baseball tournaments and is a member of the Butler County Association.

Klamo is the official’s assignor for the Fort Ancient Valley Conference where he assigns all officials for all sports at all levels of play. In 1992, he was inducted into the Ohio Amateur Softball Hall of Honor.

John Mang (Youngstown) - John Mang has been an OHSAA sports official for 43 years, umpiring both baseball and softball while also being an accomplished football official and a respected basketball official. He is an assignor, officiating instructor and the secretary-treasurer of his officials association. Mang has umpired in 30 state baseball tournaments and 25 fast-pitch softball championships, and he lost count after making over 60 regional appearances. He officiated 22 OHSAA basketball tournaments and saw action in 15 football playoff seasons.

Dennis Morris (Lima) - Dennis E. Morris began officiating football, basketball and baseball in 1976. As a basketball official, Morris has officiated regional boys tournaments and four state tournaments, including the single game all-time attendance record game featuring LeBron James. In 2008 he officiated the NFHS/T-Mobile National Invitational Basketball Tournament.

As a football official, Morris officiated in 1995 and 1997 state football championship games, the 1996 Big 33 (Pennsylvania vs. Ohio) All-Star game and the 1997 OHSFCA North-South All-Star Classic. Morris continues to officiate high school basketball and is in his 10th season as a back judge in the Big 10 Conference.

Morris is the volleyball and basketball assignor for the Putnam County League. He is the current Governor of the Ohio District of Optimists International and a member of the American Podiatrists Medical Association.

Julius Palazzo (Columbus) - Julius Palazzo is a highly respected and highly recognized official in central Ohio. He continues to officiate football, basketball and baseball contests. During 34 seasons of football officiating, he has worked 17 playoff seasons. Palazzo has 10 girls’ regional basketball tournament appearances, five boys’ regional basketball tournament appearances and three appearances in the girls state basketball tournament. Additionally, Palazzo has 35 years of experience in basketball and 36 years of baseball umpiring experience. During his baseball career, he worked 20 regional and 15 state tournaments.

Palazzo has taught a number of OHSAA sports officiating classes and is credited with helping over 3,000 men and women become sports officials. He is a member of the Capital West Association.

Diane Plas (Wellington) - Diane Plas has been an OHSAA official for 34 years. Now retired from on-court officiating, she continues officiating contributions through administration and leadership. During her years as a basketball official, she refereed 10 girls’ state basketball tournaments and more than twice the number of regional tournaments. Plas officiated 12 seasons of collegiate basketball, working in such conferences as the MAC and Big 10. She also excelled as a volleyball official working 20 state tournaments.

Plas is an OHSAA volleyball state rules interpreter and the state faculty chair for training volleyball officiating instructors. She is the volleyball and women’s basketball assigner for six collegiate conferences, representing well over 50 schools. Plas is one of four NCAA Division I women’s basketball Regional Advisors.

Plas is a member of the Northern Ohio and Lake Erie Basketball Officials Halls of Fame. She was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Bruce Seabrook (New Philadelphia) - Bruce Seabrook began officiating football in 1971. He continues to officiate lower level contests after a stellar varsity career. During his career, Seabrook officiated three state football championship games, 11 state semifinals and more than 20 seasons of regional football games.

Seabrook was nominated by the Tuscarawas Football Officials Association where he had served as President and in other capacities. He is a member of the Elks, VFW and is active in the Disabled American Veterans.

Bill Sopchak (Painesville) - Bill Sopchak has officiated football and basketball for 53 years – the last 48 as an OHSAA official. Sopchak has officiated more than 100 regional and state tournament games in football and basketball. He has also officiated an OHSAA championship football game.

Sopchak has been a leader in the training of other officials. He has organized and conducted training classes for football officials since 1990. He has served as secretary for the Northeastern Ohio Football Officials Association for 20 years. Sopchak is active in the community where he has received recognition as Citizen of the Year and the Distinguished Citizen Award.

Gary Wright (Fairborn) - Gary Wright receives his Hall of Fame recognition posthumously. He was a basketball official for 30 years and officiated nine state tournaments. Sports writer Sonny Fulks wrote that, “Sadly, Gary Wright left us without a lot of people recognizing a good thing…when they saw him. Few basketball fans knew much about Gary Wright outside of his familiarity as being one of the Dayton area’s best high school officials. When he died from injuries sustained in an auto accident, he took with him a lot of things good...character, commitment and an interesting background.”

Wright was an attorney and a former baseball great at Miami (Ohio) University. He is a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame.