Our Team

Vice President of Marketing for Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth, which includes Zehnder’s Restaurant division, Zehnder’s 18-hole Championship Golf Course – The Fortress, and Zehnder’s Splash Village Hotel and Waterpark. A 1980 graduate of Valpraiso University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Retired members of the University’s Board of Directors with service on the board’s Athletics Committee, Student and Academic Affairs Committee and Executive Committee. Current board member for the Covenant Foundation and Covenant Healthcare System, the Saginaw Community Foundation, Huntington Bank Saginaw Advisory Board and Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth Board of Directors. Over 30 years of experience as an MHSAA basketball official. Career highlights: selected to officiate 3 State Finals and 5 State Semi Finals. 2021 and 2022 MHSAA Officials Program Observer.

Mark is the Treasurer for TCAOA. He was a member At Large and Treasurer for 15 years with the former Bay Metro Officials Association. Mark also served as a trainer in football and softball for many years in the BMOA. Mark has been officiating football for 40 years and softball for 30 years. Mark has worked many MHSAA post season contests including one football final. Mark is retired after a 45 year career in healthcare. He is married with 4 children and 10 grandchildren.

Mark is secretary of the TCAOA. He was president of the Midland Association for fifteen years until four associations merged to become the TCAOA. He retired as business manager/financial secretary from IBEW Local 692 after thirty-six years of service. He has been an official for over 35 years, working football, basketball and softball. He has worked two football finals and quarterfinals in basketball and softball. He is married, has two children, and four grandchildren.

Rico began his officiating career in 2016. He started similar to most officials, at a recreation gym officiating games for youth players for some extra cash. Eventually, Rico began to have a real drive and passion for the craft and began to expand his range of sports. Throughout the past decade, Rico has picked up basketball, baseball, football, and hockey to his sports officiating list. Rico believes that training and exposure is essential to development and progression in the field. Today, Rico officiates in the NCAA for 3 sports and looks at constantly developing and progressing in his career. Rico was elected back to back terms as the Recruitment and Retention Director and the Officials Mentorship Coordinator for the Tri-City Area Officials Association. He loves helping new officials as he was once in their shoes, attempting to navigate the process.

Born and raised in Bay City and currently still reside there. Spent 42 years as a mechanic at a hometown garage here in Bay City…Terminue Brake and Muffler. Recently retired.
Enjoy all sports, fishing and gardening. Married to my wife Denise with 5 children 3 grandchildren and another on the way! I started officiating basketball 17 years ago and football 3 years ago. I enjoy the game, the kids and my fellow officials! I always comment that it’s my gym membership that pays me!

Jason Harper of Coleman began his umpiring career in the mid 90’s with ASA Softball. He began umpiring MHSAA softball in 2000 and added football shortly after. Jason was honored to have worked a state softball final in 2017. Jason was part of the inaugural board for the TCAOA and was previously a board member for the MAOA. Jason also serves as a trainer for the TCAOA and as a assignor for the newly formed Great Lakes Assigning group. Jason is also the UIC for the Midland Softball Umpires Association as part of USA Softball of Michigan. When not on the field, Jason works for the Post Secondary Transition Program in Midland assisting those with special needs with vocational and independent living skills. Jason lives in Coleman with his dog, Mina and three cats, Maze, Haley, and Silas.

Rick Havercroft began his officiating career in 1964 at the North Saginaw Township little league. After graduating from Douglas MacArthur in 1970, registration with the MHSAA in Baseball and softball followed. High school basketball started in 1976 and football in 1984. In 1978 Men’s fastpitch was added to his body of work. In the mid 1980s, he was retained as the original Umpire coordinator for the Thumb Fastpitch Travel Softball League and began working college softball. He served as Softball Umpire Coordinator for the Mid-American Conference 2006-2015 and Michigan Junior college umpire coordinator for 6 years.

Tournaments of note that Rick has worked include two MHSAA softball state finals, two MHSAA Football state finals, two NCAA Division II National Championships, 17 USA Softball National Championships, 13 ISC National Championships, 6 NAIA National Championships, 35 plus Michigan USA Softball State tournaments, 1996 Men’s Fastpitch World Championship. Rick has umpired conference championships in the Mid-American conference, GLIAC conference, MIAA conference and WHAC conference. He has worked softball in 27 different states and also in Canada and New Zealand.

Personal accolades include induction into the USA Softball National Hall of fame 2019, Saginaw Country Sports Hall of fame 2018, Michigan USA Softball Hall of Fame in 2002, Frankenmuth Softball Hall of Fame in 2017, ISC certification in Men’s Modified Pitch in 1990, ISC certification in Men’s Fastpitch in 1990.
Rick retired from UAW local 455 from General Motors Powertrain in 1997.

Rob met his wife of 28 years, Jackie, while both were serving in the United States Air Force. The two were married in North Carolina, where Rob’s officiating career began with the NCHSAA. After their military service, Rob and Jackie attended the University of Michigan, before eventually settling in the Tri-Cities area.

Their oldest son Brendan participated in the MHSAA Legacy Program as a basketball official with the TCAOA, and is now pursuing pre-law at Oakland University. Middle son James will be a senior at Michigan Lutheran Seminary in the fall, and will begin his second year in the MHSAA Legacy Program as a football and wrestling official. Jacob, the youngest, will be a seventh-grader, playing soccer and wrestling.

Rob is a three-sport official, currently working baseball, basketball, and football games at multiple levels. Despite being early in his officiating career, Rob has already been blessed to officiate several district and regional tournament games. In his spare time, Rob loves to cook, travel with family, and pretend that he is better than a bogey golfer.

Jerry Haines is a married, father of 3, grandfather of 5. Jerry has twenty four years of experience as an MHSAA Registered Official in Baseball and Football. He is currently the TCAOA Sports Coordinator for both Baseball and Football. Jerry enjoys recruiting and training new officials as well as working with veteran officials to improve the collective group.

Additionally, Jerry has over 30 years service as a Little League volunteer. He is currently the Michigan District 1 Umpire Coordinator and Assistant District Administrator and leads a training staff that trains over 80 little league umpires annually.

Professionally, Jerry works as a Senior Mainframe Systems Programmer for a major insurance company.

Cindy Linton has been a registered volleyball official for 40 years at the high school level and 7 years at the collegiate level. Cindy has also been a registered assigner with the MHSAA for 30 years and is currently employed with the Bay City Public Schools.

Jason has been a registered basketball official for 25 years and been involved in basketball training for 7 years. 

Brad has been a softball umpire for 41 years. During that time, Brad worked at the college level for over 30 years and would routinely head down to Florida each winter to work women’s college softball. Brad has been assigned to two MHSAA softball state finals, two college National Championships and numerous ASA/USA National Championships. As a MHSAA softball assigner, Brad has over 25 years of experience. In 2016, Brad was awarded Umpire of the Year by the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association (MHSSCA) for distinguished service to Michigan High School Softball.

Jeff has officiated two State Finals in volleyball (2019 and 2023) as well as Regionals in both girls and boys basketball and Lacrosse. Jeff has also officiated football post season through round two of the playoffs. In addition, Jeff has been a member of Bay Metro and now the Tri-City Area Officials Association for 19 years.

Jeff currently works for Barton Malow as a Technology Design Specialist and has also been a project manager on projects involving Technology and exhibits.