Wayne Cook
2023 Glenn Carlson Distinguished Service Inductee
Redwood Falls, MN
Redwood Falls, MN

Wayne’s love for baseball began as a 10-year-old when he watched the MLB Game of the Week on the family’s small black and white TV. He quickly developed a liking for the New York Yankees and began memorizing the players’ statistics.
In 1961 at the age of 11, Wayne became a batboy for the Mulligan amateur baseball team in the Twin River League, whose diamond was two miles from his family farm. In his teenage years, he played two seasons for Leavenworth in the Bi-County League as a left-handed first baseman. During his high school days, he became the statistician for football, basketball and baseball which served as a precursor to his sports writing career. Along with his twin brother, Warren, he also coached a Little League baseball team for two years, which was comprised of kids in the neighborhood.
When he went off to college at Southwest Minnesota State University in 1968, he developed an interest in umpiring, a career that would span over 50 years. He even attended Joe Brinkman’s pro umpire school in Florida in 1978. During his umpiring career, he was active in seven different umpire associations and co-founded South Central Umpires Association with Warren in 1990.
Wayne umpired approximately 100 youth, high school, college and amateur games per year. He umpired in 13 state amateur tournaments and he and Warren had the honor of working the Class C state championship game in Arlington in 1994. He umpired the Play Ball! High School All Star Series in Chaska for six years, worked 13 national fastpitch softball tournaments, earning the National Indicator Fraternity Award in 2019 and served as volunteer umpire coordinator for the Redwood Area Youth Baseball Association (RAYBA) for over 15 years. Wayne also received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from SMSU in 2023 and will be inducted into the Minnesota Sports Federation Softball Hall of Fame in 2024.
Wayne was a sportswriter for 25 years, and wrote columns, features and compiled weekly statistics for local amateur baseball teams and moonlighted as an umpire and basketball official. All in all, Wayne has umpired over 5,300 baseball and softball games, officiated over 2,000 basketball games and hundreds of football games in his career.
Through it all, Wayne was supported by his wife, Margaret, his son Jeff (Amy) and grandson, Hunter.
In 1961 at the age of 11, Wayne became a batboy for the Mulligan amateur baseball team in the Twin River League, whose diamond was two miles from his family farm. In his teenage years, he played two seasons for Leavenworth in the Bi-County League as a left-handed first baseman. During his high school days, he became the statistician for football, basketball and baseball which served as a precursor to his sports writing career. Along with his twin brother, Warren, he also coached a Little League baseball team for two years, which was comprised of kids in the neighborhood.
When he went off to college at Southwest Minnesota State University in 1968, he developed an interest in umpiring, a career that would span over 50 years. He even attended Joe Brinkman’s pro umpire school in Florida in 1978. During his umpiring career, he was active in seven different umpire associations and co-founded South Central Umpires Association with Warren in 1990.
Wayne umpired approximately 100 youth, high school, college and amateur games per year. He umpired in 13 state amateur tournaments and he and Warren had the honor of working the Class C state championship game in Arlington in 1994. He umpired the Play Ball! High School All Star Series in Chaska for six years, worked 13 national fastpitch softball tournaments, earning the National Indicator Fraternity Award in 2019 and served as volunteer umpire coordinator for the Redwood Area Youth Baseball Association (RAYBA) for over 15 years. Wayne also received the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from SMSU in 2023 and will be inducted into the Minnesota Sports Federation Softball Hall of Fame in 2024.
Wayne was a sportswriter for 25 years, and wrote columns, features and compiled weekly statistics for local amateur baseball teams and moonlighted as an umpire and basketball official. All in all, Wayne has umpired over 5,300 baseball and softball games, officiated over 2,000 basketball games and hundreds of football games in his career.
Through it all, Wayne was supported by his wife, Margaret, his son Jeff (Amy) and grandson, Hunter.