As a teacher, coach, athletic director, official, and commissioner for 59 years, Michael Orlich touched the lives of more than 39,000 students. Two of his students include John Madden and John Robinson and countless others who have officiated at the Division I level and in the NFL.
For more than 45 years, he served as the supervisor of the Northern California College Football Official's Association evaluating and overseeing the association's operations, while officiating at the high school and Division I college levels the entire time. In addition, he served as league commissioner in Northern California for nearly three decades. During his officiating career, he worked a grand total of 715 games while mentoring more than 105 NFL officials.
- 1944-88: Officiated 440 games at the high school, junior colleges and Division II levels
- 1951-66: Officiated 165 games at the Division II and junior high schools levels
- 1967-79: Officiated 110 games for Division I teams in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference and Big Sky Conference
After receiving his undergraduate degree from Union University, Orlich went to school at Stanford where he received his teaching credential and master's degree. He played football in 1943 for the San Francisco Clippers in the Pacific Coast Football league and went on to become business manager for the Oakland Hornets.
From 1944-65, he officiated, taught and coached in the San Francisco Bay area. From 1965-96, he served as an official, observer, evaluator, and assigner for the Pacific Coast Conference and Big West Conference.
In addition to football, he officiated World Tennis when Chris Everett and Jimmy Connors dominated the courts and basketball for the Boston Celtics and NBA All-Star Games.
Away from the field, he worked as the recreation chairman, advisor for the City Police Athletic Leagues, administrator of the Red Cross Swim Program for 17 years and regional director of the Parent Teachers Association. A tireless member of the community, he played active roles with Rotary, Kiwanis, Sirs, PT, and Booster Clubs.
