Briley, Jackson, Niksich Given 25-Year Awards; Santos Honored

They’re called 25-Year Awards, but Bob Briley, Sally Jackson and Dan Niksich have combined for many more than 75 years of contribution to area athletics.

The trio was honored at the Youth Sports Awards Luncheon at the Spokane Ag Trade Center Wednesday afternoon. Longtime St. Maries volleyball coach Mitch Santos received a Certificate of Achievement.

Briley has long been active as a volunteer and nationally recognized announcer for figure skating and youth hockey. His dedication in Spokane put him on the board of the U.S. Figure Skating Association and he was the announcer for the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships and the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.

Jackson was the first woman to coach an area Babe Ruth All-Star baseball team and in 1967 co-founded the Spokane Valley girls softball association. She has also been a swimming instructor, teaching thousands of Valley youngsters how to swim in her backyard pool.

Niksich is a longtime area teacher, coach and official. He officiated more than 1,200 games, worked nine high school state tournaments, two NAIA national tournaments and four NCAA tournaments. He taught at Bryant Elementary, Shaw Junior High and Ferris High School. His Ferris football team won back-to-back City League titles in 1971-72. He also coaches basketball and golf and his Saxons girls won the State golf title last spring.

Santos began coaching volleyball at St. Maries in 1979 and in 17 years the Lumberjacks have a 397-37 record, including a nation-longest winning streak of 145 that was broken in 1994. St. Maries won 10 straight A-2 state titles, a string that was broken two years ago and now the Lumberjacks have a two-year streak of runner-up finishes. Overall, his teams have won 11 state titles, finished second four times and have won 16 straight league titles and 15 straight district crowns.

, DataTimes