- Date Of Birth: March 25, 1907
- Date Of Death: May 11, 2009
- State: Connecticut
Norman Joseph Daniels, 102, of Middletown, Professor Emeritus, Wesleyan University, husband of the late Okla (Climie) Daniels for 66 years, passed away on Monday, May 11th at Kimberly Hall in Windsor. Born in 1907 in Detroit, MI, he was the son of the late Octave and Mary (Simons) Daniels.
Norman received his Bachelor Degree and Master’s Degree from the University of Michigan in 1932 and 1941, respectively. A nine letter athlete while at Michigan, he earned All-American recognition in both basketball and football.
He came to Wesleyan in 1934, after two years of teaching and coaching at Hillsdale High School in Michigan. He was advanced to the rank of full professor of Physical Education in 1948. Along with his baseball coaching duties, Norman also taught classes in aircraft engines and meteorology at the Wesleyan Naval Pre-Flight School throughout World War II.
After the war, he assumed the head football coaching position and led the Cardinal Gridders for 18 years. His first three seasons, 1946,’47 and ’48 put together three unbeaten seasons. Norman spent a total of 39 years at Wesleyan which included periods of coaching nearly every sport until his retirement in 1973. His baseball clubs compiled 247 victories which included 8 “Little Three” titles. His basketball record, 1945-47 was 18 and 8. In eight years as a wrestler mentor, his teams won three “Little Three” championships.
Norman was a member of the American Football Coaches Association, the NCAA Rules Committee, The American Baseball Coaches Association and the New England Baseball Coaches Association.
He was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. Norman received the Gold Key Award in 1948, presented by the Connecticut Sport Writers’ Association. He was inducted into the Middletown Sports Hall of Fame as a Charter Member in 1994. He was also inducted into the Wesleyan Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
In addition to teaching and coaching, he assumed an active role in Middletown politics.
