HONORS

Margaret was the first female member, officer and president of the Southern Association of Basketball Officials. Busbee was the first female to be selected as an FHSAA state evaluator in the sport of basketball and was also the first female official to cross over from girls to boys basketball. In 1993 the St. Petersburg Times stated she was one of the best referees in the state. The Times quoted her saying, "I'd really like to do it. That would be the hat trick for me"  when talking about officiating a boys state championship. She earned that hat trick in 2002, when she became the first female official to officiate a boys state championship game. In 1994, Busbee won State Official of the Year for girls basketball, and in 2000, earned the same recognition for girls volleyball. Entering the 2011-12 school year, she had worked 30 state Final Four basketball contests and 25 state Final Four volleyball games across all classifications.  

source:  FHSAA Hall of Fame

Often referred to as the "go-to guy" by his officials association for correct rules interpretations and proper application, Nile Dixon spent 40 years with the Southern Association of Basketball Officials (SABO). During this time, he became the personification of what a contest official ideally would be. Dixon served as SABO's Rules Interpreter for 20 years and was well-known as a state basketball evaluator and booking commissioner based in Duval County. Ironically, Dixon attributed his initial interest in officiating to a time when he was watching a poorly officiated junior high game; as he told the Lakeland Ledger in 2005, "I thought I can do at least as well as they are, if not better." Since watching that one game, Dixon has officiated approximately 3,500 games at all levels including district, regional and state finals. Dixon has been described by athletic directors, coaches and fellow officials as trustworthy, helpful, loyal and dependable.  

 source:  FHSAA Hall of Fame 

Chuck Fessler Jr. was inducted into the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019 after spending nearly half a century excelling as a contest official in the Sunshine State. Fessler Jr. spent 46 years as a softball and baseball umpire (3,800 contests), 46 years as a football official (1,850), 44 years as a basketball official (2,100) and 15 years as a flag football official (400). Overall, the Lima, Ohio native has officiated more than 8,000 contests in his illustrious career. A former two-sport all-state athlete at Forrest High School in Jacksonville, Fessler Jr. worked 11 different Florida High School Championship events in five different sports. He also appeared in more than 100 regional championship games. A pillar of the former North Florida Officials Association, Fessler Jr. worked as the assistant commissioner for the association for a quarter of a century, coordinating state tournament assignments with the FHSAA. The former University of Florida student-athlete was also an elected member of the FHSAA Football Advisory Committee and served as the lead clinician at football, baseball and softball clinics across the state.

 source:  FHSAA Hall of Fame 

Green's love affair with the game of basketball was unwavering. Known to his friends and colleagues as "J.C.," he was a dedicated basketball official for 38 years. His involvement with the game began as a player at Thomasville High School. . Green was a long-time member of the Southern Association of Basketball Officials (SABO) and served the organization in many capacities, including President, Vice President, Booking Commissioner, Secretary, Member-At-Large and Sergeant-At-Arms. He also was the architect of the SABO Constitution and Bylaws, having authored the original document, as well as numerous revisions and updates over the years. A registered basketball official with the FHSAA since 1961, Green officiated numerous state, sectional, regional and district tournament championship games for both boys and girls basketball, as well as officiating various state and national All-Star games. He also worked the junior college circuit in North and Central Florida.

 source:  FHSAA Hall of Fame 

 With 37 years as a basketball official and 29 years as a softball official, Beryl Napoleon is one of the most active contest officials in the state. Napoleon joined the Southern Association of Basketball Officials in 1968, becoming its first African-American member. He was also the first African-American to represent SABO in the FHSAA state playoffs. Napoleon has officiated 26 state championship basketball contests, 16 boys and 10 girls, more than any other active FHSAA contest official. His softball officiating career since 1976 has encompassed both the Jacksonville Umpires Association and the River City Umpires Association. Napoleon serves as a basketball evaluator for SABO and on the state level for the FHSAA. He is also one of four members elected to represent basketball on the FHSAA's 28-member Officials Advisory Committee.  

source:  FHSAA Hall of Fame 

 Earl "Bud" Sappenfield was a member of the Southern Association of Basketball Officials for 41 years, officiating in Florida since 1959. He has officiated on the varsity level for the majority of his career, working numerous FHSAA state championship series games on the district, regional and state levels.  Sappenfield served as the association's booking commissioner, assigning officials to games for one of the largest single-sport officials associations in Florida. In 1995, Sappenfield was instrumental in planning, organizing and conducting a summer training program for basketball officials in the Jacksonville area. The training program culminated with an annual officials' camp held at the University of North Florida in June.
Sappenfield was actively involved in SABO, recruiting new members, helping organize special events and training sessions. These training seminars, held in conjunction with the North Florida team camps, included classroom instruction and on-the-job training. These sessions were attended by numerous association members and recruits and served as a model for other officials' associations in Florida to implement. Classroom instruction and videotape review (with audio critiques) of the participants was utilized. Sappenfield served as a member of the special ad-hoc committee established to guide the FHSAA's first-ever statewide evaluation program for basketball officials. 

 source:  FHSAA Hall of Fame