Norm Daniels (American football)
Encyclopedia
Norm Daniels was an American
athlete and coach. He played basketball
, football
and baseball
for the University of Michigan
from 1928 to 1932. He served for 39 years as a professor of physical education and coach at Wesleyan University
from 1934 to 1973, including 33 years as the school's head baseball coach, 19 years as the head football coach, nine years as the head wrestling coach, three years as the head basketball coach, and two years as the head squash coach. He led the Wesleyan football team to four consecutive undefeated seasons from 1945 to 1948.
in 1907. He attended the University of Michigan
where he received nine varsity letter
s in football, basketball and baseball. He won All-Big Ten and All-America honors in basketball, held the second base position for the baseball team, and played at the right end and halfback
positions for the football teams from 1929 to 1931. After graduating from Michigan in 1932, Daniels became a teacher and coach at a secondary school in Hillsdale, Michigan
.
,was hired as the head football coach at Wesleyan University
. Daniels joined Blott at Wesleyan in 1934 as a physical education instructor and as an assistant football coach responsible for the ends and backs. Daniels remained at Wesleyan for 39 years, holding positions as the head coach of the football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, and squash teams. He was the school's head baseball coach for 33 years (1941 to 1973), the head football coach for 19 years (1945 to 1963), the head wrestling coach for nine years, the head basketball coach for three years (1944 to 1947), and the head squash coach for two years (1948 to 1950). He was named a full professor at Wesleyan in 1948.
In his 19 years as the head football coach, Daniels compiled a record of 76–61–10. He led the football team to a 25-game win streak, including four consecutive undefeated seasons from 1945 to 1948. After the 1948 season, Associated Press
sports writer Lou Black wrote: "Want to know who really is the coach of the year? He's mild mannered Norm Daniels, the wizard of Wesleyan."
In 1959, Daniels traveled with the baseball team on preseason trip to the South. When Daniels was told that a black player, Lenny Moore, could not stay at a hotel in Georgia, Daniels took the team from the hotel. In Florida, an opposing school refused to play Wesleyan unless Moore was removed from the lineup; Daniels pulled his team from the field.
Daniels remained active in his later years, serving on the Middletown City Council in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He also drove a van for Kuhn Employment Opportunities, an organization that assists people with disabilities to secure employment.
On April 5, 2007, Daniels celebrated his 100th birthday with a party in the lobby of Wesleyan's Freeman Athletic Center. In 2008, Daniels became one of the inaugural inductees into the Wesleyan University Athletics Hall of Fame.
In May 2009, Daniels died at age 102 at the Kimberly Hall nursing home in Windsor, Connecticut
. He was survived by a daughter, Diana Mahoney, a son, David, 10 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. A memorial service was held for Daniels at the South Congregational Church in Middletown, Connecticut
, followed by a reception in the Coach Norm Daniels Lobby in the Freeman Athletic Center at Wesleyan.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
athlete and coach. He played basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
from 1928 to 1932. He served for 39 years as a professor of physical education and coach at Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
from 1934 to 1973, including 33 years as the school's head baseball coach, 19 years as the head football coach, nine years as the head wrestling coach, three years as the head basketball coach, and two years as the head squash coach. He led the Wesleyan football team to four consecutive undefeated seasons from 1945 to 1948.
Michigan
Daniels was born in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
in 1907. He attended the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
where he received nine varsity letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
s in football, basketball and baseball. He won All-Big Ten and All-America honors in basketball, held the second base position for the baseball team, and played at the right end and halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
positions for the football teams from 1929 to 1931. After graduating from Michigan in 1932, Daniels became a teacher and coach at a secondary school in Hillsdale, Michigan
Hillsdale, Michigan
Hillsdale is a city in the state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,305. It is the county seat of Hillsdale County, and is run as a council-manager government....
.
Wesleyan
In 1934, one of Daniels' coaches from the University of Michigan, Jack BlottJack Blott
Jack Leonard Blott was an All-American football center and place kicker for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1922–1923. He was also a baseball catcher for the Wolverines from 1922–1924. After a two-game Major League Baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds in 1924, he worked as...
,was hired as the head football coach at Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
. Daniels joined Blott at Wesleyan in 1934 as a physical education instructor and as an assistant football coach responsible for the ends and backs. Daniels remained at Wesleyan for 39 years, holding positions as the head coach of the football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, and squash teams. He was the school's head baseball coach for 33 years (1941 to 1973), the head football coach for 19 years (1945 to 1963), the head wrestling coach for nine years, the head basketball coach for three years (1944 to 1947), and the head squash coach for two years (1948 to 1950). He was named a full professor at Wesleyan in 1948.
In his 19 years as the head football coach, Daniels compiled a record of 76–61–10. He led the football team to a 25-game win streak, including four consecutive undefeated seasons from 1945 to 1948. After the 1948 season, Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
sports writer Lou Black wrote: "Want to know who really is the coach of the year? He's mild mannered Norm Daniels, the wizard of Wesleyan."
In 1959, Daniels traveled with the baseball team on preseason trip to the South. When Daniels was told that a black player, Lenny Moore, could not stay at a hotel in Georgia, Daniels took the team from the hotel. In Florida, an opposing school refused to play Wesleyan unless Moore was removed from the lineup; Daniels pulled his team from the field.
Later years and honors
Daniels retired after the baseball season in 1973. He was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1974.Daniels remained active in his later years, serving on the Middletown City Council in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He also drove a van for Kuhn Employment Opportunities, an organization that assists people with disabilities to secure employment.
On April 5, 2007, Daniels celebrated his 100th birthday with a party in the lobby of Wesleyan's Freeman Athletic Center. In 2008, Daniels became one of the inaugural inductees into the Wesleyan University Athletics Hall of Fame.
In May 2009, Daniels died at age 102 at the Kimberly Hall nursing home in Windsor, Connecticut
Windsor, Connecticut
Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population was estimated at 28,778 in 2005....
. He was survived by a daughter, Diana Mahoney, a son, David, 10 grandchildren and 18 great grandchildren. A memorial service was held for Daniels at the South Congregational Church in Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
, followed by a reception in the Coach Norm Daniels Lobby in the Freeman Athletic Center at Wesleyan.