Referee Profile: Brian Abbott
August 31, 2020 - Major League Lacrosse (MLL) News Release
The 20th anniversary season of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was unique. Some of the most important people to the success of the season, that are highly visible yet seldom recognized, which are the referees.
Brian Abbott has been a referee in MLL for 17 years and is one of the most decorated lacrosse referees around. His other officiating accomplishments are officiating 16 NCAA Final Four Weekends, two Division I Championships, one Division II Championship, five Division III Championships, and assignments for nine NCAA conferences.
Gaining selection as an official for the 2020 MLL Season signifies elite status, as MLL did its best to limit personnel to only essential members in Annapolis. Including his on the field accomplishments, Abbott serves as the President of the National Intercollegiate Lacrosse Officials Association (NILOA) as well as the Active Official on the NCAA Rules Committee.
In regard to his 2020 MLL experience, Abbott was extremely happy with how the season turned out both from an experience and officiating perspective.
"I thought it (the season) was outstanding," Abbott said. "The level of officials that Kevin O'Leary (MLL Director of Officiating) was able to pull in was the best you'll find and the way we were treated by MLL was exceptional...ÃÂ I started referring when the league started, from the Showcase to now and I value my relationship with MLL. I can't say enough about guys like Kevin and Sandy Brown."
Leading up to the season, O'Leary and all referees had three conference calls to firm out details how officiating would work in the bubble. Read more about what it is like to be an MLL referee here.
Abbott has high praise from his colleagues, usually the highest indicator of excellence. Fellow referee and 2020 crew member Doug Donovan said, "When you are placed in challenging situations together bonds naturally form... We each bring distinctly different personalities and past experiences to officiating. I believe that our strengths complement each other well.ÃÂ It is so much easier to officiate a game when you completely trust your partners to take care of their responsibilities which allows you to completely focus on your own. "
Aside from being an influencer to lacrosse officiating, Abbott spent 18 years as a high school football coach in Maryland, spending 10 years at Loyola Blakefield and eight at St. Paul's School. He retired from football in 2012.
Abbott also had his own lacrosse success as a defensive midfielder at Towson from 1988-1990. Prior to that, he was on the football team.
When he's not refereeing, Abbott is husband to Stacey Abbott and a father to their three children Payton, a senior at Towson, Grant, who just started Basic Training, and Paige, an incoming freshman at McDaniel College.
Major League Lacrosse Stories from August 31, 2020
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
