Paul Clemons

As an umpire in the sport of baseball the ultimate dream is to make it to the big leagues and call games featuring the best athletes in the world.

Making that dream happen during a pandemic would typically not be a possibility, but for Paul Clemons that dream became a reality last month as he got the call to umpire a Major League Baseball game for the first time which came in a doubleheader between the Kansas City Royals and Cincinnati Reds at Kauffman Stadium.

Clemons began his journey to the majors in Northeast Kansas where he still has family roots with a dad who currently lives in Whiting and a brother that graduated from Holton High School.

Paul earned his high school diploma from Topeka West and from there went on to play college baseball at Highland Community College.

He then graduated from the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring in 2011 and went on to umpire in the minor leagues in the Midwest, Arizona Instructional, California, Eastern, Pacific Coast and Arizona Fall Leagues.

Paul even got the opportunity to umpire the 2019 PCL Championship Series.

His brother, Charlie, is a former Minor League Baseball umpire himself while his father Duane umpires at the NCAA level.

Paul currently resides with his wife, Kelsey, in Oxford, Kansas and is a substitute teacher in the offseason at Oxford, Winfield and Wellington where he also serves as referee for local football and basketball games.