Luverne football’s unofficial team grandfather for generations of players has passed away.

Glenn Daniel passed away Saturday at the age of 95. A source close to the family said he passed away in his sleep.

Daniel coached High School football for 46 seasons; 38 of those were at Luverne High School.

“Most people associate this man with football, and they would be correct. From an outsider’s view… He was much more. His legacy is in the love and respect of each and every player, co-worker, family member, spouses, kids, grandkids, great grands of his players, his family, the Luverne Tiger family, and the Crenshaw Community. To say we loved and respected this man doesn’t even explain how WE feel. His son Glen was one of my teachers at Highland Home and he was just the same as his dad. I’m so blessed and thankful to have been a part of his life and legacy. Please pray for everyone as we say goodbye to our HERO, Coach Glenn Daniel,” Ruth Bayman wrote on her Facebook post upon learning of Daniel’s death.

In his youth, he was a star baseball, basketball, and football player at A.G. Parrish High School in Selma. Daniel served during World War II straight out of high school.

When Daniel returned from war, he played for Lexington College and began coaching for Pine Hill. He coached the team for eight seasons, turning a losing team into a winning one. He moved to coaching the Tigers and after 38 seasons, retired from Luverne in 1992. Daniel’s last 10 teams he coached at Luverne qualified for the state playoffs and his 1991 team won the state playoff title.

“Coach Daniel is a rare type of man. It is heartening to know that a coach can succeed without yelling, cursing, etc,” said David Williams, quarter back and Co-captain of the 1955 Luverne Tigers, to the Alabama High School Football Historical Society in 2007. “He was always a gentleman and a fine Christian man.”

After retiring he helped assist Butch Norman, who succeeded Daniel as Luverne’s coach and who won another state championship in 1997.

Coach Daniel retired as the winningest high school coach in state history with 302 wins in his 46 years as a head coach.

“I remember Legendary Luverne Coach Glenn Daniel who was at one time the winningest high school coach in the State of Alabama with over 300 wins meeting with me when I was 30 years old after getting the job and telling me if you hear one thing I’m telling you it’s this… you gotta motivate and you gotta reach each kid differently. At the end of the day, it’s about how you reach kids and how you invest in their lives that win…,” wrote Brad Waggoner on his Facebook page last month.

Luverne’s stadium is named in his honor. Daniel was named Coach of the Year by the Alabama High School Sports Writers in 1987, 1989, and 1991 and inducted into the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame in 1991. He was also a member of the National High School Sports hall of Fame.

(sematext.com)