James Riley
Jim Riley–cowboy, athlete, coach, administrator, and family man–passed away at his home in Lincoln, NE, on June 22, 2019. He was 86. Jim took to heart the advice of his high school tennis coach: “Riley, keep that smile on your face, maintain a friendly disposition, and you will go far in life.”
James Riley was born on October 19, 1932, to Ira and Anna (Lanham) Riley on their ranch near Snyder, TX. His mother died when James was an infant, and his sister Geraldine helped raise him. Jim loved school, which he reached by riding his Shetland pony to a two-room schoolhouse in Texas. In 1948, he and his father relocated to a ranch near Faith, SD. With 20-foot snowdrifts, South Dakota's blizzards of 1949 were especially memorable for the Texas transplant, who never lost his drawl. An all-around athlete, he played tennis, softball, baseball, football, and basketball in school. To help fund his education at South Dakota State University (SDSU), Jim worked for a cattle rancher on the Cheyenne River Reservation. He competed as a calf roper, and helped start SDSU's first rodeo club. He earned a bachelor's of science degree in physical education in 1954.
Jim attended Army ROTC summer camp in Fort Lewis, WA and completed basic training at Fort Benning, GA. Commissioned as a second lieutenant, he was assigned to coach baseball on a base near Nuremberg, Germany. The 39th Infantry Falcons were European champions in 1955 and 1956, with the '55 team placing third in the All-Army tournament. Honorably discharged in 1956, Jim returned to SDSU for a master's degree in physical education in 1957. On August 4, 1957, he married his high school sweetheart, Mary Naslund, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Faith. The couple moved to Crawford, NE, where she was an elementary school teacher and he taught science and coached football, track, and basketball. From 1961-1967, he was the high school basketball coach in Norfolk, NE. During those years, Jim and Mary were blessed with three children: David in 1961, Lynn in June 1963, and Kevin in 1965.
From 1967-1970, Jim was head basketball coach, assistant football coach, and a science teacher at Westside High School in Omaha. He joined the Nebraska High School Activities Association (NSAA) as assistant executive director in 1970, and was named executive director in 1976. Over the next 25 years, the NSAA added nine sports for girls and increased its state championship tournaments from six to 21. Jim drove far and wide for his job, sometimes accompanied by one of his children, and always with a can of Coke and a Snickers in the car. He knew the best cafes, pie shops, and motels in every county, and could think of just one town in the entire state that he had not passed through at least once.
Jim also served on the U.S. Olympic Volleyball Committee and many committees and advisory groups for the National Federation of State High School Associations. After retiring in 2001, he received the NSAA's Distinguished Service Award and was inducted into the Nebraska Sports Hall of Fame. Jim was an avid reader, golfer, and sports fan. To help fund his education at South Dakota State University (SDSU), Jim worked for a cattle rancher on the Cheyenne River Reservation. He competed as a calf roper, and helped start SDSU's first rodeo club.
Jim is survived by Mary, David of Indianapolis, IN, Lynn (Mark) Cooper of Pella, IA, and Kevin (Anne) of Eagle, NE; grandchildren Riley Cooper, Rose (Dylann) Pinkman, Lauren (Josh) Hackett, Rev. Luke Fleck, and Hannah Fleck; great grandchildren Max and Ollie Pinkman; sister Dorothy Randalls of Tucumcari, New Mexico; sister-in-law Lois Doyle of Vermillion, SD; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Harold, Lanham, and Doyle Riley; sisters Geraldine Sims and Carolyn Brooks; grandchildren Christopher James Riley, Theresa Anne Riley, and Mary Mildred Riley, several nieces and nephews.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Joseph's on Wednesday, June 26th. Jim's grandson, Father Luke Fleck, officiated at the burial service at Calvary Cemetery.
