The ISC is deeply saddened by the passing of long-time commissioner and Hall of Fame umpire Les Novak on Sunday evening.
Les headed the ISC Umpires Committee for more than 20 years, working with multiple umpires-in-chief to ensure the ISC consistently has the top officials each year for the ISC World Tournament, an event he attended annually for more than 40 straight years either as a working umpire or as a commissioner.
He started umpiring in 1957, when Les was sitting in the stands of a slow-pitch game, and the scheduled umpire was a “no- show.” Les was plucked from the stands to officiate the game… and a new career was launched!
Les was quickly attracted to fastpitch, enjoying the pace of the game and especially the speed of the pitchers. As Les honed his umping skills, he advanced through the ranks of the boys in blue, and served as Umpire-In-Chief for Minnesota in 1964, and continued in that role for many years to become the longest serving UiC In the United States.
His credits include officiating in 13 ISC World Tournaments, 10 ASA Nationals, 16 NCAA National Championships, three NCAA World Series and three ISF World Championships.
Memorable moments included his first US National Tournament in 1961, his first ISF Game in 1968, and working his first ISC Tourney in Kimberly, WI in 1984 and calling the plate in the Championship Game. He was inducted into the ISC Hall of Fame in 1999, the same year he became an ISC Commissioner. Les will be inducted into the USA Softball National Hall of Fame posthumously this fall.
Sharing his experience and skills, Les conducted clinics and trained young umpires not only in Minnesota, but internationally in Japan, Thailand, Korea, Philippines and New Zealand (twice). In total, Les umpired over 15,000 fastpitch games.
In recent years, Les supported the ISC and promotion of youth in our sport as a driving force behind the creation and ongoing activity of the Carrol Forbes Lifetime Membership Foundation, which provides funding for youth clinics and other opportunities to bring young players into our game.
At the ISC Board of Directors meetings, Les was the resident expert in Roberts Rules of Order and provided advice and guidance to board members on meeting etiquette and propriety. In the late 1990s, with controversy in the air due to the inconsistencies in the pitching rule, Les re-wrote the rule that ultimately would be adopted globally.
Long retired, Les and his wife Vickie split their time between Minnesota and Acapulco. They have four daughters Wendy, Wanda, Carol and Cathy.
The ISC extends our deepest sympathies to the Novak family. Funeral details will be shared when they are available.