In main photo: standing at back, left to right, are Ron Southwick, Murray Drinkwalter, Turk Trtnay, Dave Foxcroft, and Rick Kalvaitis. Kneeling, left to right, are Jake Ireland, Kevin Baird, Jason Maggio, Ron MacVinnie, and Paul Duncan.
This article started as a tribute to Burlington’s Turk Trtnay, who has been a football referee for 51 years, but this mild-mannered man would have none of that.
“There’s been too much about me, it’s about the game, it’s about the teams on the field.”
After watching a high school football game that was more tribute than anything else, with 11 referees on hand to handle everything from the down boxes to switching in to sharing the on-field duties, Turk was referring to the three teams on the field. Those 11 officials were all there for Turk, and the mutual respect and support was on full display.
Arriving at M.M. Robinson High School the other day, any Canadian football fan would be overwhelmed when witnessing the referee crew on hand to referee the high school game between M.M. Robinson and Abbey Park. Yes, it was billed as Turk’s “last game” but it was more a testament to the camaraderie, respect, and teamwork involved in officiating a football game — any game at any level.
Truth be told, Turk officially retired last year. This was the only game he did this fall. This game was the Lakeshore Football Officials Association’s way to thank one of its own for a career that took him from refereeing high school games starting in 1969 to doing OUA (Ontario University Athletics) games and eventually, 14 years in the CFL. As with the teams involved, officials are graded every game and only the best get chosen for the playoffs and Grey Cup. Turk refereed in three Grey Cups, a testament to his commitment to his craft, and his passion for learning.
On this day, Turk was not alone. There was Hall-of-Famer Jake Ireland, he of over 50 years of officiating, and too many Grey Cups to count. There were current CFL officials Jason Maggio and Dave Foxcroft, both of whom have refereed for over 40 years and who went to B.C. to do the Western Conference Semi-Final. Don Cousens, a veteran of more than 45 years and current CFL supervisor, was also on hand. Kevin Baird, the current president of the Lakeshore Football Officials Association, was busy doing the down boxes when his turn came up. Ron “Skinny” MacVinnie wore the white hat as crew chief on this day. The OUA was also well-represented, with Referee-in-Chief Murray Drinkwalter and Paul Duncan, who will be the umpire at this year’s Vanier Cup. Other referees who came to honour Turk were former CFL player Ron Southwick, retired Halton teacher and coach Rick Kalvaitis, Dave Yurincich, Dave Bartlett, and Andy McLean.
I mention the nickname “Skinny” for Ron MacVinnie because part of the spirit and teamwork of refereeing football is that nicknames and numbers are how these professionals communicate. Who in Halton sports doesn’t remember the late Peter Moore, who was always known as “2-6,” his uniform number.
In his 50-plus years of officiating, Turk always loved the group travel to games as a way for the officials to share stories but, more importantly, as a chance to prepare for the game on the way there and to rehash the game on the way back. This allowed all to learn from the experience, to learn all about the avocation. Referees have day jobs, but their love for football (and some do basketball as well) is inspiring to watch.
These officials all have extended careers at a very high level, but they also give back to the game by refereeing high school games and junior games with just as much respect for these players as they have for the professional players. Most players won’t move on to play beyond high school, but they have experienced high-level officiating.
An added note to this day of honouring one of their own: the Lakeshore Football Officials Association is the largest association in Canada, with 100 members handling games for the large areas of Halton, Peel, and Niagara. Not only that, it boasts more CFL referees than any other association. As is the case for a lot of sports, the legion of officials is not getting any younger but those who follow will have great role models to learn by: role models like Turk Trtnay.
