Referee Bob Gilreath worked the sideline on Saturday as the Gremlins hosted the Redmen at Alumni Field in Houghton. It was his last game as a soccer official after more than 30 years of calling games in the Copper Country. (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)
HOUGHTON — After more than three decades of officiating Copper Country soccer, Bob Gilreath blew his final whistle on Saturday at Alumni Field as the Houghton Gremlins went down to defeat against the Marquette Redmen.
“At age 63 and two bad knees, it feels like I am going on 70,” Gilreath said. “It’s time to hang up the cleats.”
Soccer has been a big part of Gilreath’s life since he was growing up in Michigan City, Indiana. After playing in high school there, he came to Houghton for college at Michigan Tech, where he studied forestry in the late 1970s.
He was the goaltender and president of the Tech soccer club at the time and was quickly sought out for his expertise in how to start a youth program.
“I think I am one of the last of the original members of the Copper Country Soccer Association,” he said. “When the CCSA started I did it all, but I took a particular interest in reffing and organizing officials.”
Gilreath said that there isn’t a better place to ref youth soccer than in the Copper Country.
“This is a unique setting for soccer, and it’s growing,” he said. “The parents here are fantastic. You hear about refs or officials being abused or fights breaking out at games — none of that happens here. We just have a great community here.”
In particular Gilreath, who retired from Michigan Tech six years ago after a career in computer networking, shared that he enjoyed working with the U12 age group over the decades.
“It was there that I could teach both the players and the parents on the game,” he said. “Their attitudes were great, and I will miss seeing the kids having fun. I love this game and have loved passing it along to the youth of the community over the years.”
He said he will also miss the exercise.
“You get a great workout running up and down the sidelines at a soccer game,” he said.
With that in mind, he gave a call to action to anyone interested in becoming a soccer ref.
“We now have recreational, select and high school soccer programs all in this area,” he said “and with that, we can never have too many refs. I would encourage anyone who likes soccer to give it a try.”
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