My interest in the history of the sports field management profession is the reason we created the Accessing the Archives section a couple of years ago. I’ m also interested in the people who shaped the industry. What better way to learn about the history of the profession than from those who lived it? Those two things recently came together for me.

While working on the archives section a few months ago, I read the January 1998 article about the“ SportsTurf Manager of the Year,” Mike Schiller. Mike is a Certified Sports Field Manager and a past president of SFMA( 1996-97), now retired. Although I had never met Mike in person, I had corresponded with him via email several times over the past five years. However, although I knew Mike’ s credentials, I did not know about his career path or where he was located.

That changed when I read the 1998 article and learned that in the 1970s Mike worked for the park district of the town in which I grew up. His next career stop was in the same village in which I took my first journalism job working for the local newspaper. Armed with this new knowledge, I reached out to Mike and found out that he retired to a place less than 10 miles from where I live.

John Kmitta Associate Publisher / Editorial Brand Director jkmitta @ epgacceleration. com

763-383-4405 EPG Brand Acceleration

So, Mike and I recently met up for lunch, shared a great conversation, and found more things in common. Two of Mike’ s children went to the school at which I spent first through eighth grades( although they were several years behind me); and Mike’ s wife was music and choir director for our church( Mike later confirmed that she knew my parents).

In addition to marveling at our close geographic proximity and crossover paths, Mike talked about the influence the association’ s founders had on his career, shared stories of the early conferences when a room for 50 was packed with more than 150 sports field managers eager for information, and reminisced about what it was like to serve on the board of directors in the 1990s.

Mike’ s joy and passion for SFMA, this industry and the people in it is clear— as is how invested he is in the success and wellbeing of the association that was so good to him.

I plan to meet with Mike again, and I hope to share some of his stories and insights in future issues. For now, I hope this serves as a reminder for all of us to know our history and to ask questions of those who have come before us. You never know what you will learn. SFM

MANAG EMENT

7760 France Ave. South, Suite 810, Bloomington, MN 55435

Official Publication of the Sports Field Management Association

ADVERTISING SALES Edwin Rosario | Marketing and Engagement Sales Executive( 763) 383-4495 | erosario @ epgacceleration. com

EDITORIAL Sr VP Sales / Group Publisher | David Voll Associate Publisher / Editorial Brand Director | John Kmitta Technical Editor | Chase Straw, Ph. D. Art Director | Lindsay Zigan Peterson

AD MATERIALS AND QUESTIONS ads @ epgacceleration. com

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES( 763) 383-4492 | customerservice @ epgacceleration. com

REPRINTS Visit www. epgacceleration. com / marketing-services / and contact us today or email us at info @ epgacceleration. com.

DIRECT MAIL LIST SALES Kris Grauer | NPS Media Group kgrauer @ npsmediagroup. com |( 203) 822-7933

Publisher’ s Notice: We Assume No Responsibility For The Validity Of Claims In Connection With Items Appearing In SportsField Mangagement.

SportsField Management( ISSN PENDING)( USPS 000-292)( Reg. U. S. Pat. & T. M. Off.) is published monthly by EPG Brand Acceleration at PO Box 96, Port Jervis, NY 12771.

Postmaster: Send address changes to SportsField Management, PO Box 96, Port Jervis, NY 12771-0096. For subscription information and requests, call Subscription Services at( 763) 383-4492. Subscription rates: 1 year, $ 52 US & Poss.; All subscriptions are payable in advance in US funds.

Send payments to SportsField Management, PO Box 96, Port Jervis, NY 12771-0096. Phone:( 763) 383-4492. Fax:( 763) 383- 4499. Single copies or back issues, $ 12 each US. Periodicals postage paid at Port Jervis, NY and additional mailing offices. COPYRIGHT 2025 SportsField Management. Material may not be reproduced or photocopied in any form without the written permission of the publisher.

BRAND ACCELERATION

6

SportsField Management | April 2025 sportsfieldmanagementonline. com