Three Receive 25-Year Awards At Luncheon
Two longtime track and field contributors and the public address “voice” of many sporting events, including Eastern Washington University football and the Washington State B high school girls basketball tournament, were honored Wednesday with 25-year service awards.
The Inland Northwest Sports writers and Broadcasters presented their annual awards to Vernie Fox ley, a top track administrator and volunteer on the national and local scene; John Buck, former track and football coach at the Community Colleges of Spokane; and Dan Birdsell, a retired educator with 38 years experience announcing area sporting events.
The awards were presented at the Youth Sports Luncheon and all were later recognized at the Sports Awards Banquet.
Foxley, a former assistant athletic director with the Community Colleges of Spokane, began her volun teer work with track more than 30 years ago as a parent volunteer in fund-raising, bookkeeping, recruiting and coaching.
In the 1980s she became active at the national level for USA Track and Field. In 1981 she received the USA Track and Field’s President’s award for outstanding achievement. She has worked the Olympic Games and dozens of national championships. She has been meet director of five national events
Birdsell started his announcing at Endicott HS and continued his volunteer work when he moved to Deer Park. He primarily announces high school football, basketball and track and field with some wrestling, baseball and gymnastics.
Since 1981, he has announced the State B girls basketball tournament. In addition, he announces EWU football, Washington State University track and the State 2A, 1A and B track meets at EWU.
Buck turned Spokane Community College into a track and cross country power and also coached football at Spokane Falls during a nearly three-decades affiliation with the school. He retired in 1998.
SCC’s first cross country coach in 1971, his teams won four conference championships.
From 1972-82 the track team won 10 conference titles with 66 individual champions, three of whom went on to become Olympians.
Buck, 63, was named Inland Empire Coach of the Year in 1974. He left for a short period to coach track overseas, but upon his return he became an assistant football coach at the Falls, then head coach until the school dropped football in 1989.
He is a graduate of Davenport HS and Southern Oregon College.