Rich Fetchiet to Receive the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) Gold Whistle Award®
Rich Fetchiet, a 2012 inductee to the College Baseball Hall of Fame, has been selected as the recipient of the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO) Gold Whistle Award®.
Fetchiet built a distinguished 35-year career as one of baseball's most accomplished collegiate, national, and international umpires. His on-field resume includes seven conference tournaments, nine NCAA Division I Regionals, one NCAA Division I Super Regional, two NCAA Division I Men's College World Series, and one NCAA Division III World Series. Internationally, he officiated premier events including the XI Pan American Games, the IBAF Intercontinental Cup, the XXXIII IBAF Baseball World Cup, and the XXVII Olympic Games in Sydney, earning recognition as the 1997 IBAF International Umpire of the Year.
Equally influential off the field, Fetchiet has helped shape collegiate umpiring through decades of leadership and service. He has coordinated baseball umpires for 11 collegiate conferences, served as chair of the American Baseball Coaches Association College Baseball Rules Committee and Secretary-Editor of the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee, and has held longstanding leadership roles with the NCAA National Umpire Program, the College Baseball Umpires Alliance, and the Amateur Baseball Umpires Association. His lasting influence has elevated umpiring standards and helped shape generations of college baseball officials.
RACINE, Wis. - Recipients for the 2026 NASO Awards have been announced. All three awards will be presented at the Celebrate Officiating Gala sponsored by Fox 40 International on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 as part of the NASO Sports Officiating Summit in Grand Rapids, Mich.
About Rich Fetchiet
Longtime college baseball umpire who worked many of the sport’s premier events, including the Men’s College World Series, the Pan American Games, the World Championships, the World Cup of Baseball and the Olympic Games.
A respected advocate for umpires and a model of integrity in college baseball, he has mentored and trained generations of officials. Founder of the Collegiate Baseball Umpires Alliance (CBUA), dedicated to the education, training, evaluation and assignment of umpires at the NCAA, NAIA and junior college levels.
He also serves as coordinator of baseball umpires for the Big Ten and Big 12 conferences. Honors include induction into the College Baseball Foundation Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame’s Michigan Treasure Award in 2023. Served on the NASO Board of Directors from 2012–2016.
