There are many faculty and staff members at St. Dominic who have a very interesting life outside of school! Mr. Ed Crenshaw, a study hall monitor here at St. Dominic, continues to live out his dream of participating in basketball by working as a referee at the NCAA Division 1 level.

Before he started working for the NCAA, Mr. Crenshaw was officiating high school basketball games and even the Missouri State High School Championship. He started to attend some college basketball camps, which led him to being hired to referee some junior college basketball games. He continued to advance and attend camps, eventually being hired in the Missouri Valley Conference, which was his first D1 experience.

Since then, he has been hired in the A10, Horizon, Conference USA, Ohio Valley, and Colonial conferences. When he has time, he also works at the D2 level in the MIAA and GLVC conferences.

From November to mid March, Crenshaw’s schedule is very chaotic with balancing games on the weekends and working here at St. Dominic. However, his primary conference is the MVC, so his longest drives can be only about 5-6 hours long to either Drake University or Loyola.

A typical week for Mr. Crenshaw involves watching our own Crusaders play under the Friday night lights, and then either leave for his game Saturday morning or right after Friday football. After his first game, he will either spend the night or drive to his next game destination on that Sunday. Mr. Crenshaw then drives home which gets him back at St. Dominic on Monday morning.

“I have been very blessed to be able to say that I have traveled to so many Universities across the United States. From California, Florida and to New York. I have also officiated games in the Bahamas; at times it’s surreal,” Mr. Crenshaw said.

Mr. Crenshaw’s family is very supportive, and they love that they can watch him on television! Even though his wife is more of a football fan, his daughters love the game and enjoy being able to watch their dad ref.

“The impact that you have on the student/athlete’s lives is my favorite part of officiating. Also, being able to stay a part of the sport that I love. Basketball has been a major part of my life since birth. And last but not least, the roar of the crowd. Good or bad it keeps you coming back for more!” Mr. Crenshaw said.  

The Crenshaw family holds a dear spot in the St. Dominic athletic and academic community’s hearts. Mr. Crenshaw is one of many teachers who have shown constant support towards our school and students! He is an extremely hard worker, and will always bleed Crusader blue.