Pennsylvania Official Honored for 50 Years of Service

In Albion, Pennsylvania, where only one stoplight flickers in the middle of the main street, traditions of respect and appreciation run deep. With just seconds remaining in a January girls basketball game between Northwestern High School of Albion and Eisenhower High School (Russell, Pennsylvania), Northwestern called a time-out — but it wasn’t to set up a final shot.

As both teams made their way back to their benches, official Bernie Mackowski walked up to the scorer’s table to signal a 30-second time-out. Then, Northwestern Principal Natalie Herath stepped to the microphone. She took the time-out to thank Mackowski, a varsity basketball referee and baseball umpire for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), for his 50 years of dedicated service as an official in what was his last varsity basketball game.

“Totally caught me by surprise,” Mackowski said. “I didn’t expect they even knew it was my last varsity game.”

The crowd erupted into a standing ovation. The Northwestern student section, in white t-shirts, crept onto the court to show their appreciation. The other officials on the floor walked over to shake Mackowski’s hand.

While the moment seemed like a perfect coincidence, Herath later revealed that the plan to honor Mackowski came together in the final three minutes of the game, when Northwestern had already built a commanding lead.

Herath arrived during the fourth quarter after a meeting and sat next to her husband. A retired coach sitting nearby received a quiet heads-up from another official during a time-out that this would be Mackowski’s last game. It sparked Herath’s interest, as the school had always made a point to celebrate significant moments like this, especially when it involved an official who had served the district for so long in such a thankless role.

“I said, ‘did you tell the athletic director?’” Herath said. “Because we like to celebrate things like that.”

The answer was no. And with time running out, Herath quickly sprang into action.

Before the game though, no one in the building except the other officials knew it was Mackowski’s final game, and no one would’ve known except he mentioned it in the locker room with the other officials.

“My partners and I were having a pregame conference in our dressing room and we’re just talking about the season,” Mackowski said. “And one of my partners says, ‘I’m so glad the season’s coming to an end, I’m really worn out. I’m not even going to do playoff games this year. So, I said I can top that, this is my last varsity game.”

With just under two minutes left on the clock, Herath went to the scorer’s table to check how many time-outs Northwestern had remaining. After confirming Northwestern still had at least one left, she tapped the volunteer coach on the shoulder and filled him in on the news. She asked him to relay the message to Northwestern Girls Basketball Coach Steve Sawin to ask if he would take a time-out to honor Mackowski.

Though unsure whether Sawin would agree, Herath watched as Northwestern grabbed a rebound with eight seconds left in the game. To everyone’s confusion, Northwestern called a time-out.

“I didn’t have anything planned,” Herath said. “It all just happened in the moment, and it was pretty wild.”

Mackowski, unaware of the surprise, was initially puzzled when he saw Herath approach the scorer’s table. He couldn’t help but wonder why a time-out was called with just seconds remaining in a game already well decided.

“All of a sudden, the coach jumped up and said, ‘Bernie, give me a 30-second time-out,’” Mackowski said. “I looked at the clock, and there were about 12 seconds left in the game with a 25-point lead. I didn’t understand why we were calling a time-out then.”

When the time-out was finally called, Herath grabbed the microphone and informed Mackowski that Northwestern didn’t need a time-out and told him to face the crowd. It was then when she thanked him for his dedicated service to the game.

Herath and Mackowski share a long history that dates to when she was a young coach in the district at just 22 years of age. At the time, Mackowski was officiating her games. Later, as Herath transitioned to the administrative side of the district and became the assistant athletic director, she had more chances to observe Mackowski’s strong work ethic up close.

“He’s a no-frills kind of guy,” Herath said. “He comes in, does his job, and that’s all he ever expects.”

The recognition extended far beyond that game. Erie Times- News sports reporter Tom Reisenweber posted a video of the moment on X, where it quickly racked up more than 1.8 million views, 28,000 likes, and more than 2,000 re-posts in just three days. Even ESPN’s SportsCenter shared the video on its Instagram, where it earned an impressive 245,000 likes.

While Mackowski doesn’t use social media, people from across the nation reached out to show their appreciation.

“I’ve gotten phone calls from people in Washington State, California, and other chapters from across the state of Pennsylvania,” Mackowski said. “I just thought it must’ve been a slow news day!”

Though he’s deeply grateful for the overwhelming support from both local and national communities, Mackowski’s passion for officiating basketball, particularly in the PIAA, goes beyond the exercise. It’s about witnessing the growth of generations of basketball players in the area.

“People walk up to me all the time and say, ‘You used to be a basketball referee, didn’t you?’” Mackowski said, “And I tell them, ‘No, I still am a basketball referee.’”

While Mackowski is retiring from basketball officiating, he’s not stepping away from sports entirely. He plans to umpire one more baseball season, bringing his wealth of experience to the diamond one final time.