Former Marshall men’s basketball coach Bob Daniels died Friday at the age of 86.
Daniels coached the Thundering Herd from 1972-1977 and guided them to a 71-62 record over five seasons.
Daniels’ most successful season at Marshall was his first, when the Thundering Herd finished 20-7 and reached the NIT in the 1972-1973 campaign.
Before coming to Marshall, Daniels helped lead Kentucky Wesleyan to consecutive Division II National Championships in 1968 and 1969. He was 110-36 over five seasons at Kentucky Wesleyan.
A native of Tutor Key, Kentucky, Daniels was a prominent athlete at Western Kentucky and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2007.
Daniels played baseball and basketball for the Hilltoppers and was the 56th pick in the 1957 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals. That was the same draft in which former West Virginia University star “Hot Rod” Hundley was chosen first overall.
Daniels, a standout pitcher on the diamond, was also drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and chose a professional baseball career before he began coaching. He is also a member of Kentucky Wesleyan’s Hall of Fame.