Page 6 - 2023 TASO Football Officials Directory

History of the Houston Chapter Houston Chapter Past Presidents

o one knows when the game of Football actually began to be played. A reference to the game can be found YEARS PRESIDENT YEARS PRESIDENT
Nin the 22nd Chapter of Isaiah. Greek history speaks of a game played with a ball and later Augustus Caesar 1946-1955 Bill Jeter 1988-1989 Eugene Smith
is credited with revising the Greek rules for the Roman Legion’s games. The Celts played a football type game 1956-1957 Frank Bohanan 1990-1991 Al Partow
but the development of our game of Football came from England and Scotland. The game was mentioned in the 1958-1959 Walter Williams 1992-1993 Ed Thompson
History of London in 1175. A Rugby type game was played in England in 1823 and the first football game played in 1960-1961 Vince Buckley 1994-1995 Walter Anderson
the United States was in New Jersey between Princeton University and Rutgers University on November 6, 1869. 1960-1963 Nick Salibo 1996-1997 Billy Ripley
1964-1965 John McKirahan 1998-1999 Beau Miller
The Birth of Texas Schoolboy Football was in the Greater Houston area. On December 24, 1892 Ball High 1966-1967 Horton Nesrsta 2000-2001 Ray Banks
School in Galveston played the first football game in Texas against a local team called the Galveston
Rugby’s. The first college game was played in Dallas by the University of Texas on November 30, 1893. 1968-1969 Kirby Jett 2002-2003 Mark Ideus
1970-1971 Banks Williams 2004-2005 Mark Miller
As the popularity of football grew in Texas and throughout the United States the need for Rules and Football 1972-1973 Alex Shaw 2006-2007 Joe Machol
organizations arose. The NCAA Rules Committee was organized in 1875. The Texas University Interscholastic 1974-1975 Robert McLaren 2008-2009 Ed Thompson
League (UIL) was formed in 1904 and the first State Championship Football game was player in 1913 in 1976-1977 Dick Bates 2010-2011 Mike Atkinson
Houston with Sam Houston High School the winner. 1978-1979 Powell Scheumack 2012-2013 Rudy Guerrero
1980-1981 George Foshee 2014 Mark Ideus
In 1914 the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWC) was formed. In the beginning the SWC, the Cotton Bowl 1982-1983 Bill Taylor 2015 Mark Miller
and the Southwest Football Officials Association (SFOA) were together in Dallas with leaders like Abb 1984-1985 J. Fred Duckett 2016-2017 Mike Atkinson
Curtis, Howard Grubbs, and Cliff Spiegel. In 1977, working with the UIL, the Southwest Officials Association 1986-1987 Leon Apostolo 2018 Joe Machol
(SOA) was formed, with Dotson Lewis as the first Executive Director. The name was later changed
to the Texas Association of Sports Officials (TASO) with Mike Fitch now serving as Executive Director.
Past Executive Secretaries
From 1920 until 1967 the Prairie View Interscholastic League (PVIL) played the leading role in the
development of African American student athletics in Texas. In 1967 Dr. C. D. Yancy brought the YEARS ExEc. SEc. YEARS ExEc. SEc.
PVIL into the UIL. Under the leadership of Cecil Jordan and Buzz Henry, the Houston Black Football
Officials Association and the Houston Football Chapter SFOA with Sam Brown as the Executive 1946-1980 Sam Brown 1992-2006 Sam Brown
Secretary, united into the most diversified and experienced high school football officiating organization 1981-1991 Bob Connell 2007-2018 Tommy Moore
in Texas. Former Houston ISD Athletic Director Joe Tusa, was also very instrumental in this process.

The Houston Football Chapter and the Greater Houston Football Coaches Association developed the current
system of Coaches selecting officials in 1948 and this year will be the 73rd year of the Officials Draft. In the
beginning officials were selected individually by position. In 1968 the Houston Football rew System (5 man
crews in 1980 and 7 man crews 2015) where officials work the same position with the same team of officials all
season. Prior to the creation of the Crew System it took almost a month to select officials for all of the schools.
Now with the Crew System we are able to select 1,000+ games, 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, and Private Schools in
one day, complete and sign the game contracts, as well as assign chain crews and clock operators for all games.

exas High School Football is the best game in the world and the best Texas High School Football is
TPlayed, Coached, and Officiated in the Greater Houston Area. The Houston Football Chapter has officiated
over 100 State Championship Football Games. We have 80+ crews with almost all having Big Game Playoff
Experience. We have a great reputation among the Football Coaches in Texas and our chapter is selected
each year by Coaches around the state for playoff games because of the diversity and experience of our
crews. Our 1,000 members are proud of our history, tradition and contribution to Texas High School Football.

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