District 31 Little League Umpires

The John W. Coffey Award was established in 1997 by Earlene Coffey. It is presented annually to honor a volunteer umpire within District 31 who by their effort, respect and dedication, reflect the standards established by the late, former District 31 Umpire-in-Chief, John Coffey.

Even after many years of service to Little League Baseball, John continued to seek improvement for himself. And whether it was by his instruction or the example he demonstrated on the field, he was instrumental in the development of any umpire who sought his advice.

This scholarship award seeks to perpetuate the dedication, respect and commitment John epitomized each and every time he umpired a Little League Baseball game.

Honorees are selected by the Coffey Award Committee. In recognition of their accomplishment they receive tuition to a Little League Baseball Umpire training event as well as umpire gear.

To make a donation to the Coffey Award Fund, please contact D31 UIC Dave Miller.

  Congratulations to Nathan, Cooper and Tyler for receiving the 2023 award in its 26th year! 

Past Award Winners include:

1997- Kevin Slebioda (youth) Escondido Continental 

1998- Mike Johnson (youth) Escondido American

1999- Steve Arce Escondido National 

2000- Mike Mitchell Escondido National

Matt Arce (youth) Escondido National 

2001- Robbie Koble (youth) Poway American

Mike Cascioppo (youth) Escondido Continental

2002- Bud Mathews Escondido Continental

Todd Wilkinson (youth) Escondido American 

2003- Jeff Wimbrough Carmel Mt. Ranch

Mike Gonzales (youth) Escondido Continental 

2004- Jim Clark Rancho Bernardo

Mike Wimbrough (youth) Carmel Mt. Ranch 

2005- Tom Urbach Poway American

Tyler Bennett (youth) Escondido Continental

Nathan Hannah (youth) Escondido Continental

Mike Vaona (youth) Carmel Mt. Ranch

2006- Mike Deason Poway American

Kyre Wilcox (youth) Encinitas

2007- Bruce Courtney 4S Ranch

Ryan Walker (youth) Carmel Mt. Ranch 

2008- Jeff Norton Poway American

2009- Dave Miller Poway American

Anthony Capito (youth) Escondido National 

2010- Mike Kiesel Encinitas National

Bennett Criss (youth) Escondido American

2011- Ken Judd 4S Ranch

2012- John Tompkins Valley Center

Tyler Robbins (youth) Carmel Mountain Ranch 

2013- Steven Richardson Poway National

Josh Bernstein (youth) Del Mar National 

2014- Bill Gee 4S Ranch

Brett Martin (youth) Poway American

2015- Paul Green Poway American

John Madison Escondido National

2016- Brian Cannon Poway American

Matt Marino 4S Ranch

Matt Martin (youth) Poway American 

2017- Tom Naylor Poway American

Shawn Workman Escondido National

2018- John Guerra 4S Ranch

2019- Joe Radloff- Escondido National 

2021- Dustyn Simpson Escondido American

Trevor Maziek Encinitas National

2022- Mark Van Dierendonck- 4S Ranch

2023- Tyler Harmon Escondido National

Nathan Wien (youth) 4S Ranch

Cooper Strachan (youth) Poway American

"A very prestigious award in our district. John was a great umpire and a better person. Each of us whether we knew him or not takes a little bit of him on the field each time we work." - Mark Bernstein, Western Region LL UIC-Former D31 UIC