Al Card was born in South Paris and excelled at all sports. Being raised on a farm. Al was not stranger to hard work. He grew into a wiry,strong, quick athlete well known in the area for his friendly personality and kindness.
Al was an outstanding catcher in baseball and caught the attention of major league scouts; and was offered a minor league contract by San Francisco. While attending the University of Maine, Al played baseball and graduated with a degree in Physical Education.
He later earned his Master’s Degree from Springfield and came home to Maine to start a long career as an educator and basketball and baseball official. Al taught at MCI, Fairfield, and finally settling in Augusta where he taught Physical Education and coached at Cony High School for 27 years.
Whenever Al took the court to officiate, coaches knew he had control of the game. However, Al didn’t need to prove to everyone he was bigger than the game; he interacted with coaches and players and defused situations before they got out of control.
Legendary Coach Bob Brown says of Al, “ Al was the cream of the crop. He let the kids play and made sure no one had an unfair advantage. And he did it all with a smile. Basketball lost a great one when Al passed. “
Al was honored by the MPA as they selected him into the MPA Hall of Excellence in 2017. Al Card never met a person who wasn’t a friend after spending time with him. Al passed away in 2018.
Al and his wife Irene had two children, Ryan and Linda.