Gordon McCain was recently presented a plaque from the Indiana High School Athletic Association. The wooden plaque was made by a friend and fellow official, Lee Aldridge. Comet illustration Gordon McCain has been a sports official for more than 47 years.

Over that time, he has been licensed in six different sports - basketball, football, swimming, track, wrestling, and cross country. He has worked a total of 35 state championships.

Twenty-five of those championships were in swimming.

The last state swim tourney he officiated was on Feb. 24. He was presented a plaque that night from the Indiana High School Athletic Association in recognition of his long and dedicated career.

McCain started officiating in basketball and football. He retired from basketball in 1977 and from football in 1997. In the late 1960s, he added swimming to his officiating schedule, and has continued in that sport ever since.

"The name of Gordon McCain epitomizes excellence as a swimming and diving official throughout Indiana," said Blake Ress, IHSAA Commissioner, in a letter mounted on the plaque. "In spite of all the stress generally associated with officiating, you have retained a calm, reassuring and pleasant personality which has allowed you to earn the confidence of coaches, officials and administrators alike."

Ress noted that McCain has served under six of the seven Commissioners in the history of the IHSAA. The first Commissioner, and the only one that McCain didn't work for, was Arthur L. Trester.

McCain said what he's enjoyed most about officiating is the people he's met and staying involved with young people.

"Kids are the center attraction," McCain said. "Officials are there to help kids do better in their sport. We're there to make sure everybody plays by the rules and gets a fair shake."

McCain saw some of those kids go on to play professional sports. He said names that quickly come to mind are George McGinnis and Jim Bradley, who went on to play in the NBA, and Jeff George and Mark Herman, who played in the NFL.

McCain served as an official at six high school football state championships.

He said most of his football memories are shared with two fellow officials Lee Aldridge and Eric Harmon.

"The three of us worked football games together for 25 years," McCain said.

They often worked Friday night high school games and Saturday college games. They officiated at the Wabash-DePauw (Monon Bell) game nine times.

One of McCain's most memorable football stories is about the time he officiated at a game at Munster. While he was on the field, someone broke into his locker and stole his street pants. He had to wear his football pants home.

"They just came down to my knees, and I had to wear them with my western boots," McCain said.

He got out of basketball officiating when he was 40.

"If I had worked longer in basketball, I wouldn't have had the opportunities I've had in swimming," he said.

McCain served on the Swimming and Diving Rules Committee of the National Federation of State High School Associations for three years - 1985-1987. He is the only lay person from Indiana who has ever served on the committee. All other Indiana members have been assistant commissioners or swim coaches.

McCain has been the starter official for six state swim tourneys, including the one last month. He has also served in other official capacities for 19 other state swim championships.

McCain said of the six sports that he's officiated, he couldn't really pick a favorite.

"I've enjoyed them all," he said.

He played basketball and ran track in high school, but swimming and football were not offered at that time. McCain graduated from Flora High School in 1954.

Now, at age 70, he's still not ready to retire as an official. He said he's giving up the tourney schedule, but he's still planning to work a season schedule next year.

He and his wife, Sandra, reside in Carrollton Township. They will be married 49 years in June. They have two sons and five grandsons.

"We were married in 1957, and I started officiating in the 1958-59 school year," McCain said.

He's not even thinking about what he'll do with all his time when he retires completely from officiating. "I guess I'll worry about that when it comes," he said.