ST. PAUL, Minn.  – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) has appointed Mike Cannon as their new Coordinator of Football Officials, the conference announced on Thursday. Cannon joins the UMAC following the passing of Tom Perrault in January, who had served as football coordinator since 2008.
  
“I am really excited to have Mike step into this role as he brings an incredible amount of on-field experience and officiating knowledge to this position,” said UMAC Commissioner Corey Borchardt. “His reputation in the officiating community is outstanding and his network and involvement with numerous officiating-related organizations will be a tremendous asset to our conference as he works on continuing to develop and enhance our football officiating efforts in the UMAC. While Mike does have some really big shoes to fill in following Tom Perrault who did a tremendous job for the UMAC, Mike is a great fit to lead our football officiating staff in this next chapter.”
 
In addition to his new role with the UMAC, Cannon serves as a Regional Coordinator and Referee Clinician for the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL). He is also the Referee Co-Trainer for the College Officiating Consortium which covers the Big Ten, Mid-American, Missouri Valley, and Pioneer Leagues.
 
Cannon started officiating high school football in 1980. After three years, he began to work college games, which included the MIAC and NIC.  
 
In 1988, Cannon became a side judge in the Division II North Central Conference, where he worked for 12 years. During this time, Cannon worked nine playoff games and the 1994 Division II National Championship game.  
 
From 2000-2011, Cannon worked as a field judge in the Big Ten Conference. During that time, he was assigned to 10 bowl games including the 2006 National Championship Rose Bowl game between Texas and USC, and the 2011 National Championship Fiesta Bowl game between Oregon and Auburn.  
 
In 2012, Cannon began an 11-year run as a full-time referee in the Big Ten. As a referee, he worked 11 bowl games including three Big Ten Championships, a CFP Semi-Final Orange Bowl, and the 2019 National Championship featuring Clemson and Alabama.  
 
Cannon is a 1978 graduate of Campbell-Tintah High School. He received an Associate of Science (AS) degree from the North Dakota State School of Science where he was a member of the basketball team. Cannon received a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Business Administration/Management from Moorhead State University in 1982.

Mike recently retired in 2024 after a 35-year career in the banking industry, primarily served at Citizens Bank and Trust Company, where he served as Executive Vice President and member of the Board of Directors.