Former Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Director of Officials Mark Jones has been named one of 13 recipients of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Citation Award. The recognition is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to high school activity programs across the United States. Jones and other honorees will be recognized at the 2026 NFHS Summer Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, in June.
The NFHS Citation is considered a prestigious honor in high school athletics and performing arts. The awards for state high school associations, coaching, officiating, and performing arts will be presented on June 28 during the annual meeting.
Jones was chosen as the Citation Award recipient from the NFHS Officials Association. His career began in 1979 and included more than thirty years of officiating in basketball, football, and baseball at the high school level. He continued officiating high school baseball until 1990, football until 2007, and basketball until 2014.
From 2016 to 2020, Jones served as director of officials for AHSAA. In this role, he managed registration, training, scheduling, and payment for officials across all sports in Alabama. He also oversaw championship events.
Jones also worked as director of recreational sports at Jacksonville State University for 32 years and taught sports officiating classes for nearly three decades. His involvement extended to various committees and leadership positions within his community; he currently serves as Mayor of Jacksonville.
Other recipients of the 2026 NFHS Citation include leaders from professional organizations such as Dr. Thomas “Buster” Mabrey (NFHS Coaches Association), Dr. Michael Golemo (NFHS Music Association), Neomia Hagans Flores (NFHS Speech/Debate/Theatre Association), and Tim Schlegel (NFHS Speech/Debate/Theatre Association). Eight additional awardees represent state high school associations from Maine, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Michigan, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, and Oregon.
The NFHS is based in Indianapolis and has led education-based interscholastic sports since its founding in 1920. It sets rules for 18 sports at the high school level through its network of member state associations and reaches over twelve million participants nationwide through athletic and activity programs. More information about the organization can be found on their website: www.nfhs.org.
“An award designed to honor individuals who have made contributions to the NFHS, state high school associations, athletic director and coaching professions, the officiating avocation and fine arts/performing arts programs, the NFHS Citation is one of the most highly regarded achievements in high school athletics and performing arts.”
