James Daniel (born January 17, 1953) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

coach. He most recently served as the

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

s coach for the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL)'s

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

Biography

College career

Daniel was a 4-year

letter winner In sports or activities in the United States, a letterman is a high school or college student who has met a specified level of participation or performance on a varsity team. Overview The term comes from the practice of awarding each such part ...

playing

offensive guard Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative (Netherlands), Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tende ...

Alabama State University Alabama State University (ASU, Bama State, or Alabama State) is a public historically Black university in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1867, during the Reconstruction era, it was one of about 180 " normal schools" established by state gove ...

Coaching career

Daniel began his coaching career as an offensive line coach at Enterprise High School from 1974–1980 after graduating from Alabama State. He enjoyed a high level of success at the high school level, as during this five year time span eleven of his offensive linemen earned college scholarships. He moved to Auburn in 1981 to serve as the offensive line coach on head coach

Pat Dye Patrick Fain Dye (November 6, 1939 – June 1, 2020) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at East Carolina University (1974–1979), the University of Wyoming (1980), ...

's staff from 1981 to 1992. During his 12-year

tenure Tenure is a type of academic appointment that protects its holder from being fired or laid off except for cause, or under extraordinary circumstances such as financial exigency or program discontinuation. Academic tenure originated in the United ...

, the Tigers appeared in nine consecutive bowl games, four linemen were selected for

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honours and several selected All- SEC. Daniel's first professional level coaching experience came as a part of the NFL's Minority Fellowship program, with the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

in 1988 and with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

in 1992 under head coach

Dan Reeves Daniel Edward Reeves (January 19, 1944 – January 1, 2022) was an American professional football running back and coach in the National Football League (NFL). During his 38 years in the NFL, Reeves participated in nine Super Bowls, the third ...

.
NFL.com news He made his professional-level debut with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

, serving as tight end coach from 1993 to 1996. He moved to the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

in 1997, serving in the same capacity from 1997 to 2003. Daniel was instrumental in the development of tight end Alge Crumpler, who led the Falcons in receptions in 2002 and 2003 and has earned four Pro Bowl selections as well as two All-Pro honours. Daniel also served as the offensive line coach in 2000. Daniel joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2004, replacing

Ken Whisenhunt Kenneth Moore Whisenhunt (born February 28, 1962) is an American football coach and former tight end. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was selected in the twelfth round of the 1985 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons, with whom he pla ...

as tight ends coach after Whisenhunt was promoted to offensive coordinator. He has been instrumental in the development of tight end Heath Miller, guiding Miller to become an all-around player and a solid postseason contributor. Under Daniel's tutelage, Miller has earned a Pro Bowl selection while also setting team records for single-season receptions, postseason receptions, touchdowns, and yards for the tight end position.

Personal life

Daniel and his wife, Myrtis, have no children.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daniel, James 1953 births Living people Alabama State Hornets football players Atlanta Falcons coaches Auburn Tigers football coaches High school football coaches in Alabama New York Giants coaches People from Wetumpka, Alabama Pittsburgh Steelers coaches Players of American football from Alabama African-American coaches of American football 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen