The full list of Mike Colbrese’s contributions to the WIAA during his 26 years as the Executive Director could likely fill an entire Hall of Fame segment all on its own. But his journey through youth athletics both starts and ends with a whistle.

After his high school graduation in Glendive, Montana, in 1968, Colbrese took his first job officiating high school football and basketball games — the start of a career in youth sports that has since spanned more than five decades. Following stints in the executive offices of the Montana and Wyoming state associations, Colbrese made it all the way out west, taking over as the WIAA Executive Director in 1993.

From there, he got to work putting a more readily accessible face to an organization that hadn’t undergone serious structural changes since the late 1960s. Before the turn of the century, he helped the association obtain an office much more suited for its spatial needs, moving the WIAA to its current building in Renton in 1999.

In doing so, Colbrese filled the new office’s boardroom with fresh faces, directing his efforts toward increasing participation on the association’s Executive Board and Representative Assemblies. Before long, the intentional inclusion of principals, coaches, athletic directors, and other advisory members gave every administrative organization a voice in statewide proceedings.

Meanwhile, the WIAA staff continued making strides toward nation-leading initiatives. From concussion-management mandates to annual Coaches School curricula, Colbrese’s staff worked hard to pioneer student-athlete-centric policies, many of which have stood as models for the rest of the country.

As a Title IX administrator during his stint with the Montana High School Association in the 1980s, Colbrese received critical training, education, and background on the importance of inclusion for all communities in sports. That experience translated into his work with the WIAA, where he helped remove barriers to pole vault and wrestling for women in sports — both of which have generated forward momentum over the past two decades.

Cindy Adsit, current Assistant Executive Director and Colbrese’s colleague throughout his entire tenure, played a large part in many of his trailblazing initiatives. “Mike was a real trend-setter for the rest of the country,” she said. “He was way forward-thinking.”

Colbrese has dedicated his life to the experiences of student-athletes. Now, after his retirement from the WIAA, his career has come full circle: at age 71, he returned to officiating, doing his part to help remedy the sharp drop-off in referees during the global pandemic.

Reflecting on his 26 years of contributions to the WIAA and its membership, Colbrese focuses mainly on his staff’s unwavering ability to listen and create dialogue in the best interest of the student-athletes it serves.