Ref Rummel retires

This past November, at the All-Class state volleyball tournament in Bozeman, a record was quietly set. It wasn’t by a team or a coach. Instead it was the man in the white polo with a whistle in his mouth. When Bill Rummel took to the court, it was his 33rd straight appearance as an official at the tournament. Throughout those years, he has officiated for each of the four classifications in the Montana High School Association. Rummel, who is from Hamilton, said he doesn’t think there is an official in the state that has done more state tournaments, and certainly not in a row.
Volleyball was just being introduced as a girls’ sport in Montana when Rummel began officiating. That was in 1983. He had been an athlete in high school and college and wanted to keep active in sports. “This was a great way to keep connected,” he said.
Rummel graduated from Hamilton High School in 1969. While there, he was the quarterback of the state champion Broncs his senior year. He also was the state champion in the long jump, and still volunteers to help at track meets. He also played basketball. His parents were George and Ruth Rummel. After graduation, he attended Valparaiso University in Indiana and studied finance. It was there he met his future wife, Judy. The couple has two daughters, Beth and Laura. His eyes light up at the mention of his grandchildren now.
The first 12 to 14 years, he isn’t sure exactly how many years, he also refereed basketball but as his family grew older, he decided to concentrate on volleyball. The sport was evolving and becoming a faster-paced sport. In the early years, some matches could go on for a couple of hours or more, while some other matches were done in 20 minutes. But with the changes in the rules, especially going to a rally-scoring format, the sport found some continuity and predictability as far as length of matches.
“The athleticism of the players has changed phenomenally,” said Rummel. “Some of these players could be at the top in any sport they choose.”
Rummel didn’t just officiate at the high school level. For a few years he also worked the college volleyball courts, doing the Big Sky Conference, the Frontier Conference and even did some international matches in Canada. Along the way, he was on the court at the Frontier Conference tournament for a couple of years, the first round of the NAIA tournament, and even did a PAC 10 game at Oregon State. But all of the traveling involved in officiating at this level was not something he liked and so he decided to cut back and do only high school.
The many friends he has made across the state is probably the best thing Rummel will take away from his years as a referee. Although a coach may disagree with a call that was made, the respect given to Rummel and the respect given by Rummel, has garnered him friendships from not only other officials, but also coaches, players and parents. In fact, he was honored by the MHSA in 2001 as the official of the year.
“It’s been a privilege to know these folks,” he said.