A Zebra Closeup: Niles native officially loves football

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Referee Kevin Violette describes the MEAC as a league comparable to the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), which includes Youngstown State University. "There is an awful lot of talent throughout the league. Some truly outstanding athletes," Violette said. The speed, size and talent of these guys makes for a condition where anything is possible."

Most former football players who wish to remain close to the game generally do so by playing a little touch football, or perhaps by joining a fantasy league. Niles (OH) native Kevin Violette is living out his football fantasy by putting himself smack-dab in the middle of the action. Violette spends his autumn weekends traveling up and down the East Coast as part of an officiating crew that works college games. Violette recently completed his fifth season as an official in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference - a nine team league that includes, South Carlina State, Florida A&M, Norfolk State, Morgan State, Bethune-Cookman, Hampton, North Carolina A&T, Delaware State and Howard.

The MEAC is a Division I-AA conference made up of historically black institutions located across the Atlantic coastline. A 1986 Niles McKinley High graduate, Violette currently resides in Wilmington, N.C. After graduating from Niles, Violette attended Ohio Northern, where he earned a Bachelors Degree in Biology. He then earned a Masters Degree in Marine Biology while attending the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. When he's not keeping order on the football field, Violette serves as Director of Enterprise Solutions. The company is the software development group which serves the University of North Carolina Wilmington. "I've always loved football and I always wanted to stay involved in the game in some way," Violette said. "Quite honestly, I never expected it to be as a referee."

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