Doak inducted into hall of fame

On July 19 at the 36th annual Wyoming Coaches Association and Wyoming Sports Official Association Hall Of Fame Banquet, Joe Doak was inducted in to the Wyoming High School Activities Association (WHSAA) Hall of Fame for his contribution to the youth of Wyoming through his years of service as a sports official in football and basketball.

The WHSAA presented Doak with a gold lifetime pass and a hall of fame ring, and a pictured plaque of Doak will be on display at the Casper Events Center.

Doak is in his 43rd year of officiating, having started in 1977. He started in Thermopolis, after he moved back in 1973 after finishing college and purchasing the Sideboard restaurant. He left business in 1988 and worked 7.5 years at the Wyoming Boys School before retiring in 2015.

The only break, he said, in all those years was this summer as he was recovering from Achilles surgery.

Doak explained he was chosen for the award by a committee, based on the number of games he's officiated, particularly a lot of regional and state tournaments as well as the 40-plus years with the WHSAA and the community service he's done.

As for his start in the officiating world, Doak said local coach and official, Jack O'Neal, was once short a crew member and asked him to help out. They got a uniform together for Doak, and after the game he got registered and worked with the association from then on.

Doak said his favorite part of officiating is the camaraderie, working with a group of guys to a goal and helping kids. "That's basically what officiating is. You're there to control the game somewhat, but at times we're mentoring to these kids, especially in the lower levels." He further added this mentoring is something like preventive maintenance, making them aware of what they're doing wrong so they can adjust their skills. "I think watching those kids progress from seventh and eighth through high school, they're like your kids."

Working with the officiating crew, Doak said he travels with other refs in a car for several hours. "You've got to like those guys, not only as individuals, but as partners you have to trust them on the field to call their areas."

Doak was born in Thermopolis, though his family moved to Ten Sleep in 1964. He was active in football, track and basketball, and he was on the state champ cross country team in 1966. In college, he worked with the basketball and baseball program and took a lot of coaching courses.

"That's what I was going to do until I had to chance to get this business."

Officiating is like an addiction, Doak said. "You plan your seasons, going from softball into football into basketball. Every year you've got to take the tests. To be certified you have to go to a camp or clinic every five years and take a test." Officials are then evaluated at tournaments. Simple registration allows an official to do any kind of games, but to go post season one has to work and study harder.

It's a "labor of love," Doak said.