Passion for the game of lacrosse started at a young age not only for Mike, but for his entire family.  Back in the early 60s, his father, Matthew, a 2002 Upstate Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee, was pulled into the Athletic Director’s office one day at Watertown High School and was asked what he knew about the game of lacrosse.  “My father, a baseball guy through and through, responds by saying absolutely nothing!”  The Athletic Director then says “Good – you’re my new lacrosse coach!”  So, my father accepting the position of lacrosse coach at WHS quickly turned into a lifelong passion for the entire family.

One of my first memories as manager for my father’s teams was riding to Cornwall, Ontario, with him to pick up a batch of wooden sticks.  I was five or six years old, and remember picking up each stick at the factory and feeling them for balance and weight, cradling a ball, and ultimately throwing them into the wagon with the coach’s approval.

While playing for his father, Mike was a first-team All-CNYCL midfielder in his junior and senior years as well as team captain.  After a successful high school career, which included league titles every season, Mike played at Cortland State for legendary coach Chuck Winters.  Mike garnered first-team All-SUNYAC and USILA All-American honors in 1982.  In ’81, Cortland lost to Hobart in the Division III national championship game by two, 12-10.

After graduating from Cortland he returned to coach at his alma mater (WHS) with his wingman, Spike Decker – coaching a JV team to a 16-1 record.  Mike then went on to coach at Potsdam State, where he succeeded Jim Berkman for the 1986 season.  In ’87, he led the Bears to one of their best seasons ever, a second-place conference finish, and was named the SUNYAC Coach of the Year.

Mike’s officiating at the high school level began in 1990 and includes 35 years with the NYS Association in Watertown, NY (Section 3).  Under the tutelage of Joe Escudero, who happened to start the lacrosse officials board in Watertown, Mike went on to officiate many league playoffs, sectional semis, and finals, as well as State play-off games including ten NYS championship games.  He currently serves as the Section 3-North assignor for the Watertown Lacrosse Officials Board.

Mike’s officiating at the NCAA level includes 30 years of officiating division 1, 2, and 3 with experience in many league, conference, and NCAA playoff games.  Under the tutelage of Walt Munze, Jake Curran, Tom Abbott, Jim O’Hara, Steve Miller, and many more, Mike was selected to officiate at three NCAA Final Fours, participating in division one semi-final games each time.  Mike states… ‘truly the pinnacle of my officiating career!’

Mike also officiated in the FIL (World Lacrosse Championship), getting selected to represent the United States as a ‘blue division’ official at the 2014 World Lacrosse Championship held in Denver, Colorado.

Mike has also officiated at the Lake Placid Summitt Tournament for at least 20 plus years, and was recently inducted into the ‘Legends of Lake Placid’.  There’s something magical about the sport of lacrosse – everyone here who has played/coached/officiated knows what I’m talking about.  Officiating has given me the platform to the game I love and could not imagine my life without it. 

Mike lives in Black River, NY, with his wife Kate.  They have a daughter Elizabeth who now resides and works in Webster, NY.