Joe McDaniel is Centre's all-time winningest football coach

RELEASED: May 9, 2002

DANVILLE, KY-Joe McDaniel couldn't have departed on a better note. In this, his final year as Centre College's athletic director, Colonel sports teams have thrived under his watch.

McDaniel will officially retire on May 31. Brian Chafin, formerly men's soccer coach at Centre, has been named the new athletic director. McDaniel became Centre's athletic director in 1999 after serving as assistant athletic director since 1993.

Centre is wrapping up its 2001-02 athletic year as the spring sports season comes to a close. This spring, several records were broken in track and field, and a member of the men's golf team was recently named first team all conference. The fall sports teams (not including cross country) won 61 of 98 games, 61 wins, 32 losses and five ties. The men's and women's cross country teams each placed third out of 10 teams in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships held at Centre, and the women's team had its best finish ever in the NCAA Southeast Regional.

Also in the fall, Centre's football team finished 9-1. It was the Colonels' most wins in a season since the famous 1921 Praying Colonels went 10-1 (and defeated No. 1-ranked Harvard 6-0), and only the fourth time in school history the team had won nine games.

"Joe's experience and leadership will be sorely missed," said Centre President John Roush. "He set a shining example as a coach and athletic administrator working with outstanding scholar-athletes during his time here, and we hope to build upon his success."

McDaniel and his wife Pat were honored at a dinner by Centre's board of trustees during the board's spring meeting last month.

McDaniel said his time at Centre will be remembered as an especially pleasant part of his life.

"We've had many wonderful experiences," he said. "The outstanding play our athletic teams had this past year reflects the type of coaches and scholar-athletes we have at Centre. Success and accomplishments usually happen when you are surrounded by quality people."

McDaniel coached Centre's football team from 1980-97. He retired holding the all-time record in football victories at the college with 101 wins, 63 losses and three ties. In 32 seasons at Centre and Marietta (Ohio) College, McDaniel's record was 166-122-5. McDaniel is also Marietta's all-time winningest coach.

During his coaching career at Centre, the Colonels won seven conference titles and placed six players on the American Football Coaches Association's All-America team. Six of his players were named to the GTE Academic All-America team. A total of 115 players made the all-conference first team and seven were named Most Valuable Players in the SCAC. McDaniel was chosen as the SCAC Coach of the Year three times since 1989, the year the award was created.

In 1999, Centre's Teel Bruner, a 1985 graduate who played for McDaniel, was selected to the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., as a defensive back.

In his 13-year stint as Centre's golf coach, McDaniel's teams won three conference championships, 22 players earned all-conference honors and four individuals had the opportunity to compete in national tournament competition. The 1984 team participated in the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

McDaniel was an All-Ohio Conference quarterback and MVP in basketball and football at Muskingum College in Ohio. Following his graduation in 1956, the Fredricktown, Ohio, native served seven seasons as an assistant at Muskingum and coached three years at Marion Harding High School before becoming the head coach at Marietta in 1966.

McDaniel has been inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fames at Fredricktown High School, Muskingum and Marietta. He and Pat have five children, all college graduates with three graduating from Centre. Their son Tim was an All-America running back for Centre.

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