Savarese announces retirements of AHSAA veterans
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (ahsaa.com) — Greg Brewer, an assistant director with the Alabama High School Athletic Association since 1985, and Eula Milner, part-time secretary for the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association, have announced their plans to retire, AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese announced Tuesday at the April Central Board of Control meeting.
“These are two invaluable members of our AHSAA family,” Savarese said. “We wish them both well in their retirements. Both have made so many contributions to the success of the AHSAA and AHSADCA. Mr. Brewer has been a trailblazer in the development of training for contest officials. He has dedicated himself to raising the competence across the board with contest officials in all sports. He leaves some big shoes to be filled.
“Eula Milner is one of those people who never finds a job too challenging. She too will be very difficult to replace.”
Savarese said he plans to post both positions soon and will begin a search to fill the vacancies ASAP.
Brewer, who plans to step down as AHSAA Director of Officials in August after 32 years, has devoted most of his professional life to providing a quality athletic experience for high school students in Alabama. Milner plans to retire in May.
“The Good Lord has blessed me with a wonderful life in the athletic arena, and I have had several opportunities to make a difference in the world of high school athletics that I will never forget,” Brewer said. “I am thankful for all the many friendships I have been able to develop and maintain throughout the state with officials, administrators and coaches. I will miss my AHSAA family.”
During his tenure as Director of Officials, Brewer established the statewide training camps for officials in all sports and set up the current District Director program employed to rate and further train contest officials. One of his crowning contributions has been the development of an officiating class that is now being taught in Alabama’s high schools which will help insure that future generations will better understand the rules of the contests and will be prepared to become contest officials.
Brewer currently serves on the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) football rules committee and has served on numerous other NFHS committees related to officiating and rules. From 2003-06, he served as chairman of the NFHS Baseball Rules Committee. Brewer has also helped coordinate the AHSAA’s school reclassification process and has managed the officiating of the organization’s championship events each year.
Recognized as one of the leading administrators of officiating in the NFHS, Brewer received that organization’s Citation Award for Section 3.
A native of Florence and a graduate of Bradshaw High School, Brewer began his career in sports officiating in 1976. He officiated high school football, basketball and baseball during his 16 years as an active official — working with associations in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa and Montgomery. He also officiated college baseball for four years in the Gulf South Conference.
Brewer is a 1980 graduate of the University of North Alabama where he majored in business administration and physical education. He holds a master’s degree from the University of Alabama. He has served several years as an official scorer for basketball games at the University of Alabama and the University of North Alabama, and has been a volunteer with many organizations including the American Legion Boys State Program.
Milner, in her 17th year with the AHSADCA, plans to retire in May. She joined the AHSAA staff in 1999 after more than two decades with the Alabama State Department of Education. She works closely with AHSADCA Director Alvin Briggs and AHSAA Assistant Director Denise Ainsworth helping to coordinate the Alabama-Mississippi Football Game, AHSADCA Summer Conference and All-Star Sports Week, the AHSAA Sports Mini-Clinic series, Leadership Training, and the Principals and Athletic Directors Conference, among her many duties.
