Phil Laurie, a 33-year veteran of collegiate officiating, has been selected as the director of football officials for the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, commissioner Jim Johnson announced Thursday (July 17).
He will succeed Bill Lowe, who recently announced his retirement, and Laurie officially begins his duties August 1.
Laurie, 62, ended his on-field officiating career in 2007 with an assignment to the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla. — a run which included 18 Division I postseason assignments. He worked 16 bowls — two of which were national championship games.
He's been a clinician for the Kansas Collegiate Officials Association, Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference and the Colorado Officiating Camp. Laurie also organized a group of Big 12 officials to serve as clinicians for the MIAA staff over the past three years.
“We are fortunate to have a person with Phil's experience readily available to take over this position,” Johnson said. “He's been in the trenches during high-profile games and knows what it takes to be a top-notch football official.
“Phil is highly regarded as a clinician, teacher and evaluator. He's is the perfect successor to Bill Lowe, and will continue to build upon the foundation Bill established during his tenure.”
After starting out as a high school official in 1970, Laurie worked his first collegiate games — both football and basketball — in 1975.
He officiated in seven NAIA District Basketball Tournaments and five NAIA Football Playoff games (including the 1985 national championship) before becoming a member of the Big Eight Conference football officiating staff in 1984.
In his 24 years of officiating in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A), Laurie worked more than 250 games. He joined the Big 12 Conference officiating staff upon the league's formation in 1996.
Laurie worked three Sugar Bowl games, including the 1997 Florida-Florida State match-up for the national title, two Big 12 Championship games (1997 & 2004) and the 2004 Rose Bowl between Southern California and Michigan to determine the Associated Press national champion.
He was inducted into the Topeka Officials Association Hall of Fame in 2006.
Away from officiating, Laurie was a teacher and a coach in the Topeka, Kan., Unified School District 501 for 12 years, working at French and Landon junior highs as well as Topeka High School. He then embarked on a career in school fund-raising as a sales representative with Reader's Digest, from which he retired in 2007.
A native of Atchison, Laurie resides in Topeka with his wife, Kay. They have two children, Tracy Boyd and Todd Laurie, along with three grandchildren.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
