By Dennis Miller
I didn’t know Austin Daniels very well, having only had the pleasure of talking over the phone with him a few times regarding Ballistic United or about an award Daniels had earned.
But the one constant I can say about Daniels is that each time I spoke with him, he made me feel like he had been a lifelong friend.
When he passed in July after a 13-year battle with cancer, there was a hole left in the life of anyone who crossed paths with Daniels.
He was that great of a man, mentor, and friend.
“He connected with people and connected people to each other,” said longtime close friend Jon Cohn. “He inspired others to do better than they thought they could be.”
The former player and longtime coach was known across the country.
He is a four-time Hall of Fame member in Connecticut, and in his three years at Ballistic United as the Director of Coaching Education, coaches have continually raved about his knowledge and mentorship.
The weekend of January 13-14 of this year he was in Anaheim at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention where Daniels was inducted into the Black Coaches Community Hall of Fame.
Already inducted into the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame, the University of Hartford HOF, the Connecticut Girls’ Soccer HOF, and the Women’s Premier Soccer League HOF, Daniels is now nationally recognized.
And to those who knew him well, he was beyond reproach as a friend.
“He was incredibly loyal to family and friends,” said Andy Bonchonsky, another longtime, close friend, who is with RSL Arizona. “He was easily one of the most caring and thoughtful people I have known. He did things because he cared.”
And Daniels was a fighter, something extremely evident to his close friends.
“When he first got sick, the doctors said with his type of cancer, you probably have 2-3 years to live,” said Cohn. “He lasted 13 years. He fought it longer than most people would. He told he felt like he was pushing a boulder up a hill, and it finally started coming back at him.”
In his three years at BUSC, Daniels made a huge impact, not only on the kids he worked with, but the Ballistic staff as well. Every single time, without exception, when I asked about Daniels, the staff raved about him.”
“Austin and I were about the same age and had both been in the soccer industry for many years,” said BUSC Executive Director Kevin Crow. “Although our paths did not cross much, we both knew so many common people in the soccer world, when he submitted his resume to interview for our Director of Coaching position, it was like we knew each other well. I have been blessed to have him in my life for the past few years and our club will benefit from his mentorship, expertise, and passion for many years to come.”
It was when Daniels was with BUSC he became close with former BUSC Director Tim Ryerson. Ryerson – who is now back east to be closer to family – had his own battle with cancer, and of course Daniels was there for him.
“Austin was with me every step of my journey and his willingness to share his experience and counsel me through the process will never be forgotten,” said Ryerson.
That Daniels had such an impact on the Ballistic players and staff was no surprise to Bonchonsky.
“He was always at ease with the kids,” said Bonchonsky. “It meant the world to him to help the younger kids. You always want to win but to Austin, it was not at all costs.”
Bonchonsky and Daniels came up through the coaching ranks at the same time, coaching at various colleges. In the youth ranks they worked together at Arizona United before Daniels came to Ballistic.
But no matter where they were coaching, the two had a lifelong agreement. And it had to do with always staying humble.
“He mentioned a pact we made,” explained Bonchonsky. “If either one of us got big timed, we could beat the (crap) out of each other.”
Fortunately, with a man like Austin Daniels, that was never going to happen. The world is a better place for those that met Daniels.
