A fan of the original Blues teams, Mark learned to ice skate at Winterland Ice Arena as a high school freshman. The following year found him as a goaltender on the St. Thomas Aquinas High School team, one of the original eight teams during Mid-States inaugural season. 

During his senior year, he happily took a job at Winterland Ice Arena which, along with getting to drive the Zamboni (yes, it's every bit as cool as it looks), also gave him unlimited ice time after-hours into the wee hours of the morning. That season, his Falcons club advanced to the Mid-States semifinals, finishing fourth overall.

Mark next played for the St. Louis (Winterland) Junior B Comets during the first two seasons of the St. Louis Metro Junior B League. Then, following a month with the Welland, Ontario Junior A Sabres (SOHL) in the fall of 1976, he returned to St. Louis, college, and working at the rink. 

Quite by chance while working one evening, he was invited to referee a game as the assigned official couldn't make the following night's game. Wearing a borrowed sweater, trousers and goalie skates, he worked the game and was bitten by the officiating bug. Soon he was refereeing five Rainbow Rockets games, back-to-back, on Saturdays and Sundays.

That same season (1976-77), he registered with the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS), and has remained an active, skating member since. Two years removed from playing Junior B, he was named to the league's officiating staff. He would referee Junior B and later Junior A (NAHL) hockey until 2005. He continues to officiate Mid-States hockey games and has been an on-ice participant as a player or official in each year of Mid-States existence, save three years. 

Mark has refereed numerous AHAUS and USA Hockey (USAH) Regional and National Tournaments across the Central District, through Midget Tier I and Junior B levels, regularly earning assignments to work semifinal and final games. He has officiated NCAA Division I, during St. Louis University's final season, three Chicago Showcase events, the 1994 Olympic Sports Festival, and the International Hockey League (IHL), 1989-91.

Mark has served Missouri Ice Hockey Officials Association (MIHOA) in a number of capacities during his career, including Secretary, Vice-President, and evaluation and discipline committees. For a decade he served as USAH Local Supervisor of Officials and has been a local USAH Seminar Instructor for 25 years. In his 35+ years it has been his privilege to watch, up-close, the game, its players, coaches and administrators evolve locally to many levels of success enjoyed today. He is grateful for the support received and friendships made throughout his career.

Born in Brownsville, Texas, Mark lives in South St. Louis with Mary Ann, his wife of 34 years, and is the proud father of three children, Lara, Jason and Aaron, son-in-law Curt and new grandson Simon. Following 25 years with Chrysler Corporation in Fenton, he returned to school in 2009 and earned an Associate Degree in Nursing in 2012. He is a Registered Nurse at St. Louis Children's Hospital and will receive his Bachelor Degree in Nursing in August, 2014.