Marcy Weston is highly respected within the NCAA ranks.

Currently Central Michigan University Senior Associate Athletics Director, Weston was a women's basketball official from 1964-84. She then served as the NCAA National Coordinator of Women's Basketball Officiating, a position she held until 2005. She was also the secretary-editor of the women't rules committee from 1984-97 and an active supporter of the "Blow the Whistle on Cancer" initiative in support of the Jimmy V Foundation.

Weston was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 and was recognized by the NCAA as one of the nine major contributors to the first decade of the NCAA women's basketball in 1991.

In honor of her service and dedication, she's been named the recipient of the National Association of Sport Officials' prestigious Gold Whistle Award. (She is the first woman to receive the award.)

Weston says, of receiving the award,

"when I received the phone call from Barry Mano, the President of NASO, I was shocked, yet humbled at the same time, I'm extremely proud to be honored with the Gold Whistle Award. As an official, I wanted to get better every time I took the court. I spent two-thirds of my life in officiating - 20 years on the basketball court and 21 with the NCAA and I was always working to manage the game so student-athletes could compete on a level playing court. I was always passionate about the game and wanted to motivate other to feel the same."

Flahback moment: Weston reflecting on the changes in the relationship between officials and coaches:

Gone are the days when, recalled Weston, the two worlds mingled freely and officials all but donated their services. Schools saved money by having the officials ride the team bus, coaches all but picked their referees and thought nothing of going out for dinner after a game. “Did anyone say you cheated?” asks Weston. “No. They hired you because they thought you were the best around. They thought you were relatively fair, not perfect.”