The official’s official, Howard Mayo (November 12, 1928 – March 20, 2019) began officiating high school basketball games in Butte, MT in 1956. Four years later, he relocated to Portland and continued working at high school games. From 1962 until 1983, Howard also refereed small college basketball in both Oregon and Washington.
Beginning in 1977, Mayo served as Commissioner of the Portland Basketball Officials Association (PBOA) and served as a past president of the organization. Howard was also instructional chair for PBOA, conducting clinics throughout Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. He conducted annual rules/mechanics clinics for PBOA, and for all State of Oregon rule interpreters for the OSAA.
Howard was State of Oregon rules interpreter for OSAA and served on the State Officials Fee Review Committee and State Officials Council for the OSAA. He was supervisor of officials for the OSAA at various boys and girls state tournaments and regularly assigned officials for over 115 schools in the greater Portland area.
Mayo was a life member of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials (IAABO) , and a member of that organization’s instructional staff at officiating camps held annually at WSU. He has also served on the Rules and Manual committee of the National Federation of High Schools, from which he received a distinguished service award in 1994.