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DOWAGIAC — After five decades of officiating basketball games, Dowagiac resident Randy Melvin has hung up his whistle for good. 

Melvin recently officiated his final game a week ago Friday, the Division 3 district girls’ championship at Bridgman High School between No. 1-ranked Niles Brandywine and White Pigeon. 

The 2024-25 season marked Melvin’s 50th year as a registered basketball official with the Michigan High School Athletic Association. 

A second-string player at Dowagiac Union High School where he graduated from in 1972, Melvin was offered an opportunity by the late James Tansey, the Roadrunners’ head coach at the time, to join the Southwestern Michigan College men’s basketball program as a walk-on. 

Dowagiac finished 19-1 and advanced to the state quarterfinals in Melvin’s senior year where the Chieftains lost to Muskegon Heights. One of Melvin’s teammates that season was junior Edgar Wilson who went on to play basketball at Michigan State University. 

“When I was a high school senior, Southwestern Michigan College had just started a men’s basketball program and Coach Tansey offered me a chance to join the team as a walk-on. Then he asked me if I’d ever given any thought to officiating. I told him no, but I turned around and went and got myself registered and began officiating several middle school and freshmen games to start with. I can remember getting paid $12 to officiate a freshman game back then,” Melvin recalled. 

It was the beginning of a long career on the hardwood for Melvin wearing the stripes. 

Melvin’s longest officiating partner was Watervliet’s Andy Saetre who he worked games with for 20 years from 1998-2018. He partnered up with Dowagiac’s Greg Blomgren and Portage’s Jason Messenger in his final game last week.

“I’ve been fortunate to work with some really good partners over the years. In the last few years I even got a chance to work quite a few games with my son Tanner which was really cool. I’ve been up and down the floor a few times,” Melvin chuckled.

Just like every coach and player, the dream of each MHSAA official is to officiate a state championship at some point in their career. Melvin was fortunate to officiate three state finals, all in the smallest enrollment division, Class D. 

In 1994, Melvin officiated the Class D girls state final between Portland St. Patrick and Painesdale-Jeffers at Battle Creek Kellogg Arena when girls’ basketball was played in the Fall season. He also officiated the 1998 Class D girls’ final between Morrice and Rapid River and the 2007 boys’ finals between Cedarville and Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian. 

“The first state finals game you officiate is the one you remember the most. Also being able to officiate at the Breslin Center was great too, especially since I am a lifelong Michigan State Spartans’ fan,” Melvin said. 

Melvin considers himself blessed with some of the assignments he’s had throughout his career. 

“I’ve had alot of really good assignments and big games that involved talented teams and individuals like future NBA players Wilson Chandler and Robert Whaley, as well as Marcus Singer all from Benton Harbor. 

Another memorable game which sticks out in Melvin’s mind occured during Shane Battier’s high school career at Detroit Country Day. Battier went on to stardom at Duke University and later in the MBA.  

“I remember it was Battier’s junior year and Country Day came over to play at Mattawan and Andy (Saetre) and I were fortunate to be able to officiate that game. The gym was packed because he (Battier) was as good as everyone said he was,” said Melvin, who estimates he averaged over 50 games per season and worked over 2,000 games during his career. 

“During Covid I moved to Florida for two years and I didn’t do any officiating until I returned to Michigan,” Melvin said.

In 2022, Melvin was inducted into the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan’s Hall of Honor after being nominated for the award by Niles Brandywine girls’ basketball coach Josh Hood.

“I was very appreciative of Josh nominating for such an honor. Being around the coaches and the kids and getting the chance to work with a lot of different officials are what I’ll remember the most,” Melvin said. 

Melvin also enjoyed a long career working as an umpire in the Michigan Amateur Softball Association. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012 as well as the National Hall of Fame in 2014.