Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com
The Nor-Cal Football Officials Association has announced the retirement of Jim Seaman and Monte Henry, who have stepped down after this season after long careers for both.
Seaman’s last game officiating was the recent 7-AA NorCal Regional Championship at the Redwood Bowl, which was won by the Ferndale Wildcats on their way to a state championship.
He began his officiating career in 1992 and has worked both locally and out of the area, serving as an official in multiple different conferences including in Oregon and Nevada.
Seaman has also officiated at the collegiate level, as well as in numerous North Coast Section playoff games and four different state bowl games.
Henry, meanwhile, started his officiating career in the H-DNL in 1999.
Henry was recently the Referee Coordinator for Six Rivers Youth Football, until his announced retirement at the end of this past season.
Like Seaman, Henry also has officiated numerous NCS playoff games and SRYF championships.
Their departure from officiating follows the recent retirement of Ed Matthews and Jack Haase after the 2022 local season.
Matthews officiated local games for 52 years before stepping down, while Haase was a football official for 43 Years.
All told, Seaman, Henry, Matthews and Haase had a combined 152 years experience officiating football games, leaving a big hole to fill locally.
According to Chris Petersen, the Assigning Secretary for the Nor-Cal Football Officials Association, there is a a growing shortage of officials that is threatening the future of high school athletics.
The National Federation of State High School Associations estimates that there have been more than 50,000 officials leaving various sports since 2019.
Anyone interested in joining the ranks of the local football officials and learning how to officiate in any high school sport can go to www.highschoolofficials.com to sign up, or email ncfoa.humboldt@gmail.com for more information.
Ray,
I had the honor of officiating with each of the individuals cited in your article and I can tell you that they were incredible officials. They were very dedicated to our association and always prepared for each game. They knew and enforced the rules and the mechanics that enabled our crews to perform at a high level. Taking the field with those four colleagues was an easy assignment because I knew we were prepared, calm, and in control. We were ready to deal with whatever challenges the games presented and we were always professional.
I was the NCFOA
commissioner for years and I knew that when they were assigned to a game… it was in good hands. Thanks for acknowledging their efforts and years of service. (152 years!!!!)
Carl Del Grande
Hey CDG, no athletic department funds money left for EHS Fall soccer playoffs in 1987/88 , remember that🤷♂️… same school year the volleyball team went to Nevada for a pre-season tourney…
… “shafted”…
Legends. I’m thankful to have worked with all of them. They not only made me a better official but also a better person.
I think it is wonderful that good refs exist, as many refs just plane are not that good… but hey, become part of high school activities, it is a great way for untrustworthy adult-types to pull-faces in the community as organizers and servicers of high school activities… while mistreating other peers…
…refs are leaving in droves, and it is not retirement or fans that is a problem… it is insiders who mess stuff up and fake their take on it all… refs are easy if ya have their trust and do not mistreat them… but we all know today refs are viewed by the education system as cotton-picker slaves, expendable… but that attitude ruined many referee organizations… and now expendable does not even apply because being short on refs available means no refs can be expendable without further losses of refs overall, not like ref associations have a surplus of refs…
… 40, 50 years reffing is amazing grace if ya think about it… and today, who knows if that ever happens again with a younger generation that is given many reasons to not trust any system, and the public education system is typically #1 and first to deny opportunities simply based upon adult insiders in all things being counter-productive, daresay lazy and back-stabbing saboteurs…
…think about when people who are more qualified get ghosted by insiders who are afraid of the threat that a better organizer, better ref wants in da club, but is nixed because the ref is that good…
…organizations have real consequences…
Example:
ref organization gets into trouble with IRS
owes taxes… $15k (first noticeable flaw)
unpaid invoices of over $12k (2nd flaw)
threatening refs to pay some dues/fees without an itemization as to “for what” at beginning of season (3rd flaw)
threatens ref to ref a game in order for ref to receive a badge at the gamesite (4th flaw)
when ref asks for picture of badge, instead of assignor having to drive to game too, no reply by assignor… (5th flaw)
when ref can meet assignor locally to pick up badge, no reply by assignor… (6th flaw)
assignor lied about badge availability (7th flaw)
ref decided not to get involved because of organization’s flaws, problems, internalized failures…
thing is, the CIF SECTION COMMISSIONERS KNOW THESE FLAWS HAVE EXISTED ON THE LONG TERM, nothing has changed for the better… and student athletes tend to get inferior game officials at the high school level in too many sports…
…it is why youth leagues not connected to high schools are thriving with referees… refs want to ref, but high school sports is a turn-off for many mistreated refs who simply do not like the bad people involved… and so, high schools sports can suffer, mistreated refs don’t give a hoot other than the idea that it is unfortunate student athletes get shafted by adults who mistreat those others who would otherwise be helping student athletes, and frankly, the sporting league…
Nobody should write something before my eyes making the appearance that high schools and ref organizations are not the problem-makers… because I’ll set the record straight… the entrenched are not innocent…
I wish to second what Carl Del Grande said about these two great guys. Thank you Jim for assisting me during my time learning what it is to be a good official. You made it look easy and your support has encouraged me then as well as now! Henry job well done! Thank you guys!
William Bunner
Former HDNL official
Current CCS Official