Former Hobart College Football Coach Jack Daniels P'86, GP'17 died peacefully at his home on Saturday, Feb. 27. He was 84-years old.
 
Calling hours will be from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3 at DeVaney-Bennett Funeral Home 181 N. Main St., Geneva. Private services will be held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church on March 4, with burial immediately following in Glenwood Cemetery.
 
Daniels served as head coach of the Hobart football team from 1981 to 1986. He inherited a team that won just one game in 1980 and repeated that total in his first season, but Daniels set the Statesmen on a winning path. Hobart improved to 4-5 in his second season and then rattled off four straight winning seasons, finishing as high as second in the ICAC standings. Daniels was 25-28-1 as Hobart's head coach.
 
Much beloved by the young men who played for him, Daniels inspired a fierce loyalty in his Statesmen, who regularly gathered on campus to catch a football game and share stories of their gridiron glory and the man who led them to victory.
 
Daniels was also a member of the football coaching staffs at Trinity (Conn.), Colgate, Virginia and The Citadel. In 1989, he moved from the sideline into an administrative role, spending seven years as the senior associate athletic director at Marshall followed by five years as the athletic director at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
 
"He was special," says former Hobart Head Football Coach Mike Cragg P'13, who began his collegiate coaching career in 1986 as a member of Daniels' staff. Cragg was able to return the favor, welcoming Daniels back to coaching in 2014. "Having him come back to Geneva and want to be a part of our program again was wonderful. He would pull me aside and offer his advice. I found his experience invaluable. He had a love for Hobart football and we were happy to have him with us."
 
In retirement, Daniels moved back to Geneva and briefly returned to coaching, serving as Hobart's special teams assistant coach in 2014 and 2015. The Statesmen went 19-4 in those two seasons, capturing a Liberty League Championship and advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2014 NCAA playoffs.
 
Even after hanging up his whistle for good, Daniels remained an ardent fan of Hobart football, routinely making his way to Urick Stadium on Saturdays in the fall.
 
Born in Erie, Pa., Daniels earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Buffalo and a master's degree from Colgate. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard at Cape May, N.J.
 
Jack was married to the former Carol Ann McLellan, and they celebrated their 60th anniversary this past July. They had three children Donna '86, Jill (Pat) and Tag. In addition, he is survived by seven grandchildren Stephen (Shauna), Abigail, Lauren (Steven), Patrick "Fitz" O'Connell '17, Isabelle, Paige, and Alexis; three sisters Jean Barth, Rita Baggett and Marilyn Metcalf; and several nieces and nephews.
 
Contributions in lieu of flowers can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.