Former high school football referee Jack Shagool dies at 87

Former high school football referee Jack Shagool died Sunday after a long battle with congestive heart failure. He was 87.

Shagool, the father of former Ferris volleyball coach and current Saxons athletic director Stacey Ward, is survived by his wife, Mardelle; two sons, Scott and Chuck; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Jack and Mardelle celebrated 60 years of marriage in August.

Shagool was a football referee and referee evaluator for 48 years. In addition to working as a football official, he also officiated basketball and was the president of the football and basketball referee associations.

He is a member of the Washington Officials Association Hall of Fame, the Sportswriters and Broadcasters Scroll of Honor and the WIAA Hall of Fame.

A World War II veteran who served in the Marine Corps, Shagool shared his birthday, Nov. 10, with the U.S. Marines.

“When we were growing up he asked us to celebrate the Marine Corps’ birthday, not his,” Ward said.

Shagool was a trumpet player in the Marine Corps band.

He was born in Weeping Water, Nebraska, and spent several years living throughout Nebraska and Kansas. He moved his family to Spokane in 1966.

Shagool coached junior football, soccer and baseball in Spokane for many years and was the girls tennis coach at North Central in the 1990s. He volunteered at the State B basketball and volleyball tournaments and the State A/B track meet at Eastern Washington University for many years.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Dec. 5 at Whitworth Presbyterian church.