By Bruce Karnick

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If you would have asked longtime Hastings Resident Vicki Davis 50 years ago what kind of impact she would have on the officiating world, she likely would have laughed at you. Now, Davis is the first female official to be inducted into the Minnesota State High School Basketball Hall of Fame.

Davis started her officiating career at the age of 19.

“I refereed my very first college game in 1968. I was a sophomore in college. They thought I did a pretty good job. I continued that, got hired and little did I know, when I graduated from college, all these coaches, I could ask for recommendations. Classmates were scrambling for ‘who do I get a recommendation from’ and I

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had tons that I could get recommendations from,” said Davis.

“In college, it's a great part time job, you’re giving back to the sport, and you're staying in shape. You're still involved with the sport that you like, because I did volleyball and basketball,” added Davis.

Davis was hooked on officiating and continues to do it to this day. She is more involved with training new officials and providing reviews of officials for both the NCAA, UMAC and the MSHSL at this point in her career, but that does not stop her from advocating for her fellow officials.

“Any sport needs good officials,” said Davis. “Without officials, there are no games.”

That is why being inducted to the MSHSL Basketball Hall of Fame is a big deal to Davis. She was not inducted as a player. She didn’t have the opportunity to play until college when women’s sports were just beginning. Davis made the jump to officiating because she initially had to. She and another coach swapped officiating games for each other. Then, Davis officiated the first ever Minnesota State High School League Girls Basketball Tournament and has been a key advocate for not only women in officiating, but a huge advocate for sports opportunities for girls.

“Officials are special,” explained Davis. “My reward represents all officials and assigners that keep all our sports fair and safe.”

The importance of the induction is very simple, a female pioneer in officiating and in supporting female athletics is honored and is someone all girls can look up too. Her accolades that lead to this also include: Two-time captain for both Basketball and Volleyball at Mankato State university. She started the girls sports programs at Hastings schools. She served as a referee and administrator for the MSHSL, MIAC, UMAC, Big Ten, NCAA and the WNBA.

The induction ceremony took place in Minneaoplis at the Lumber Exchange Event Center last Thursday. Each inductee had a brief introduction from Dave Lee, long time WCCO radio personality and sports announcer. The inductees had an opportunity to speak at the event and then they were brought to a Minnesota Timberwolves game to be honored at halftime.

When asked about refereeing as a part time job now, her response was “Absolutely, do it, yes! It’s a great part time job.”

She also had a message for parents of kids at sporting events.

“Have more kids,” Davis laughed. “Nowadays, parents have one or two kids and they live through that child, or the those two kids. I grew up in a family of seven, and my parents didn't have time to know what my practices were like, or what was going on. Not to say that parents shouldn't be involved. Don't get me wrong, but they need to sit back and watch. Their kids are out there, they're worrying about what the coach is saying, worrying about what mom or dad are going say after. Let them play. Just sit back and watch and just be glad they're out there. And that's what you want. Let the coaches do their job. Let the officials do their job and as a parent? You be encouraging and cheer them on and be positive and just watch.”

Davis also had a hand in encouraging one of the current NBA officials, Hastings’ own Pat Fraher. “He used to come into my office and get my referee magazine. Pat used to come in after refereeing a game and go, ‘OK, Miss Davis, now what? What do you think about this?’ And I knew, I knew he was going to be good. He just he had it,” she recalled.

The influence that Vicki Davis had on countless referees, young women and men throughout her career in Hastings Schools and as an official is impossible to add up. There’s no better person to represent officials in the MSHSL Basketball Hall of Fame.

Vicki Davis and Dave Lee talk during the induction ceremony at the Lumber Exchange Event Center in Minneapolis. Davis was inducted to the MSHSL Basketball Hall of Fame for her work as an official and administrator.