Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

 
In the summer of 1978, while most boys in his hometown of Donora were playing baseball, 16-year-old Tom Evans was umpiring youth league baseball for $2 a game. Tom’s love for baseball led him to take the PIAA baseball official’s test at age 18. That was the start of an outstanding PIAA baseball and softball officiating career that lasted more than 35 years. In 1983, as a 21-year-old official, his work caught the eye of WPIAL executive director Charles “Ace” Heberling, and Evans began working WPIAL postseason games. He soon became a permanent fixture at the WPIAL and PIAA championships. Over the years, he’s officiated at least 15 WPIAL baseball championship games and at least three PIAA baseball finals. In addition, Evans also officiated college baseball in the tri-state area and has volunteered as a clinic instructor for numerous local and state baseball organizations. In 2010, Evans was appointed athletic director at Yough School District after 16 years as assistant AD, which led to his retirement from active baseball officiating. He’s served as an educator for 36 years. His past and present contributions to the WPIAL include golf steering committee member, financial tournament manager of the wrestling committee, liaison for the football and soccer championships at Heinz Field and Highmark Stadium, member of the WPIAL Hall of Fame committee, and member of the WPIAL board of directors.  He is a past president of the WPIAL Athletic Directors Association and has served as a mentor for new administrators throughout the region. His work as an administrator earned him the WPIAL Athletic Director of the Year award in 2016, and in 2019 Evans received the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Distinguished Sport of Merit at the State Athletic Directors Conference in Hershey.