Longtime Washington high school executive director 'emotional' after national hall of fame announcement

Mike Colbrese, 27-year WIAA director, says inclusion among 10 inductees to NFHS' 2024 class 'pretty humbling'

Mike Colbrese was preparing to officiate a JV baseball game in Sequim, a small city some 60 miles Northwest of Seattle, on Tuesday afternoon when his phone suddenly erupted with congratulatory pings.

The former 27-year WIAA Executive Director had known for about two weeks he was headed into the NFHS' National High School Hall of Fame in July, but was only able to share the news with his family. 

Until Tuesday, when word got out after the NFHS announced Colbrese among the its 2024 class. The notes came from people he met along his many stops across the high school sports landscape over the last 40-some years.

"The timing is terrible," Colbrese quipped to SBLive Tuesday afternoon. "I’ve got to work a baseball game today and it’s been really emotional to get to all these messages. It’s pretty humbling.

"You don’t do what you do without standing on a lot of people’s shoulders. And I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of great shoulders to stand on."

He's one of 10 set to be inducted in a ceremony at the NFHS Summer Meeting in Boston on July 1 — along with the likes of first ballot Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Joe Mauer.

Colbrese, 74, retired from the WIAA in 2019 but didn't leave high school sports altogether. He spends his retirement as a high school referee and assignor after 37 years of high school state association experience in Montana, Wyoming and Washington. 

He taught high school English for 11 years, then spent five years as an assistant director with the Montana High School Association and six more as the commissioner of the Wyoming High School Activities Association before he was hired to lead the WIAA in 1993.

Former WIAA executive Director Mike Colbrese, who has returned to officiating in retirement, is among the 10 inductees into the NFHS' National High School Hall of Fame in July / Photo by Vince Miller, SBLive Sports

His involvement with the NFHS is headlined by two stints on the NFHS Board of Directors — first during his time in Wyoming from 1991-93, then again in 2008-12.

He's served on various committees helped shape rules across several sports and he's helped shape significant high school sports polices — notably developing the national model for policy around transgender students' inclusion in high school sports, as well as helping lobby and write the country's first concussion law.

A long career in high school athletics meant decades of long nights, weekends and personal time sacrificed. Which is why on Tuesday, a message among the sea of well wishes that carried extra meaning came from his daughter Jennifer. 

"Your family pays a price," Colbrese said. "While we had some great times together, they were also paying a tougher price because I was gone a lot — and you have to be to really get out to the membership.

Jennifer and her husband Jordan will be in Boston for the induction ceremony.

Read the full release here.

Editor's note: Colbrese served as SBLive Sports' Executive Vice President of Market Development from 2019-2022.

Former Washington state association boss goes back to his sports-related roots in retirement - officiating high school games

-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivewa