RAOA Minnesota

Association History

From a small group of local officials to a growing multi-sport association, the story of RAOA reflects decades of service, mentorship, and commitment to high school athletics in southeastern Minnesota.

Built Through the Years

The Story of RAOA

The Rochester Area Officials Association has evolved alongside the athletes, schools, and communities it serves. What began as a loosely organized network of officials became a structured association built on professionalism, training, and support for fellow officials.

Early Years

Before 1960

Until about 1960, a loose-knit group of individuals officiated high school football and boys’ basketball in the Rochester, Minnesota area. During this time, Red Cochran acted as the secretary/treasurer, and games were typically scheduled through phone calls from school athletic directors directly to individual officials.

There were no by-laws or formal mission statement. Red served as a central coordinator, keeping track of which officials were assigned to which games and dates. The number of games was much smaller than today, with basketball commonly played on Tuesdays and Fridays and football played almost exclusively on Fridays, except for MEA Wednesday.

1960

A More Formal Association Takes Shape

In 1960, Ed Rauen became secretary/treasurer, and the group was formally known as the Rochester Officials Association. Ed introduced by-laws and established a board of directors made up of a President, Vice-President for each sport, and the secretary/treasurer.

He also added more structure through sport-specific meetings and an annual all-sports spring meeting, helping move the organization toward a more professional model.

1960's

Training, Standards, and the “Smoker” Tradition

During Ed’s tenure, first-year officials were introduced carefully into varsity assignments. New football officials worked as fourth officials, while new basketball officials worked B-squad games alongside experienced members. At the following spring meeting, each first-year official would be evaluated for membership or encouraged to gain additional experience.

The association also hosted a fall “Smoker” during MEA week, inviting local athletic directors and coaches for informal networking and conversation. These gatherings became a valued tradition and featured prominent guest speakers, including Paul Giel of the University of Minnesota and Minnesota Twins manager Billy Martin.

1970's

Growth Across New Sports

After Ed retired, Dave Sperling briefly served as secretary/treasurer before Jon Springer assumed the role around 1970. During Jon’s twelve-year tenure, baseball was added as an officially sanctioned sport requiring registered officials.

Around the same time, girls’ sports emerged. With the arrival of Title IX, the association expanded to include girls’ volleyball, basketball, and softball. This nearly doubled the scheduling demands, but membership also grew to meet the moment.

Expansion Era

From Rochester to the Region

As more members joined from surrounding communities, the organization became known as the Rochester Area Officials Association. During this period, Jon introduced a mentorship model in football and basketball, pairing veteran officials with newcomers to help guide their growth.

Scheduling also began to modernize, moving from handwritten manila-folder charts to Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets.

1980's–1990's

Leadership Changes and Operational Growth

In 1982, Fred Hoeft took over as secretary-treasurer and scheduler, followed later by returning service from Jon Springer and others. By the late 1980's and early 1990's, scheduling duties were divided by sport as the association continued to expand.

Mike Graf joined RAOA in 1989 and became secretary-treasurer in 1993. He scheduled all sports using Excel spreadsheets and telephone calls, a process that required an incredible amount of effort and organization in the pre-email era.

2001–2005

The Move Toward Digital Scheduling

In 2001, RAOA formally split scheduling responsibilities across multiple schedulers by sport. Basketball, the most demanding sport to assign, soon became the first to move to an online scheduling system under Brad Trahan.

After further leadership changes, Jared Butson took over basketball scheduling in 2005. Working alongside Mike Graf and others, the association moved all sports scheduling into Arbiter, a major modernization step for the organization.

2014 and Beyond

Training, Development, and the Modern Era

In 2014, Jared Butson was elected secretary-treasurer. Under his leadership and with support from many veteran members, RAOA placed greater emphasis on training, development, and organized clinics to improve officiating across the association.

While some of this growth aligned with MSHSL direction, RAOA members themselves played a major role in strengthening education and mentorship for officials at all levels.

Today

A Stronger Association

From a small group of just over ten officials covering two varsity sports, the Rochester Area Officials Association has grown into an organization of nearly 250 members officiating six sports across multiple levels of competition.

RAOA continues to reflect the same spirit that shaped its early years: officials helping officials, supporting schools, and building a strong future for athletic officiating in the region.

Have something to add? If you have additional details, stories, or historical information related to RAOA, please contact Tim Nicometo.