HUGH MATSON

Hugh Matson attended Newaygo High School (1949-53) and received his Bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University in 1957. He was a long-time football and track coach of 31 years at Mattawan High School (1957-62) and Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D, Eisenhower high schools (1962-1988). Called “Hoot” or “Hooter” by his friends, Matson also served as athletic director at Eisenhower (1970-88) and Heritage (1988-97) high schools. During his tenure as an athletic director, he was a member of the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) for 27 years (1970-97) and held each level of office, becoming president for the1989-90 school year. He hosted numerous Michigan High School Athletic Association tournaments in girls’ and boys’ basketball, girls’ and boys’ soccer, girls’ and boys’ tennis, baseball, volleyball, softball, hockey and track, He was named Regional Athletic Director of the Year by the MIAAA in 1988, Matson was also an active member of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) from 1980-97 and became a Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA) in 1989 in the NIAAA’s first year of implementation. He has been a registered MHSAA official for 43 years (1971-2014), a 22-year member of the Association of Track Officials of Michigan (ATOM), and a 14-year (2000-14) certified United States Track and Field (USATF) starter. He has officiated 25 MHSAA Regional meets in cross country and track, 12 MHSAA state meets in track and nine meets as a starter in the Michigan Interscholastic Coaches Association (MITCA) state meets. As an official for the NCAA, using USATF members, he has worked several college championship meets as a starter in the MIAA the GLIAC, the WHAC and the MAC in cross country and track. Matson has worked an estimated 700 hundred meets since his retirement in 1997, several of them as a volunteer starter for all of the Saginaw Valley State University meets. Totally, he has worked 57 years either as a coach or as an official in track and field and cross country. He earned the Saginaw Township Distinguished Service Award (1962-1997), the MIAAA Jack Johnson Distinguished Service Award (2009), the ATOM Art Jevert/Bruce Jacobs Distinguished Service Award (2009-2010), the Chuck Wheeker SVSU Track and Field Volunteer of the Year Award (2012), and the USATF National Track & Field Officials Committee Outstanding Service Award (2014). Matson, who is active at the First Congregational Church of Saginaw, lives with his wife Jackie in Saginaw Township.