If I were to ask who you thought was the greatest athlete in University of Utah history, most likely what would come to your mind would be NBA talents like Andre Miller or Andrew Bogut. Or maybe you would think about any number of current NFL players like Steve Smith, Alex Smith or Star Lotulelei. But if any of those, or similar names came to your mind, you missed the essence of the question. The question was "who is the greatest athlete in University of Utah history", not "who is the most recognizable athlete in University of Utah history."
The title of World's Greatest Athlete is traditionally given to the reigning world or olympic champion decathlete, and rightly so. The decathlon is the only objective test of all around athletic ability. In the decathlon, an athlete's speed, stamina, strength and concentration are all pushed to the limit. No Utah student, past or present, better exemplified what it means to be a true athlete than Scott Daniels.
"I'm not sure that track wasn't his first love, as he was so devoted to being the best. Football paid his way, but I know he had a great love for track" said Coach Jones.
So you may be wondering, what makes Scott Daniels the greatest athlete in Utah history? There are a number of reasons:
- He is the all-time University of Utah record holder in the decathlon with 7,456 points. No other Ute decathlete before or since has ever come close to that point total.
- As a sophomore in 1980 he won the WAC decathlon and qualified for the NCAA Championships.
- He was a multi-sport athlete at a major division I university, so he never truly had an offseason at all.
- He broke the American Indoor Heptathlon record in 1984.
- Scott broke his own personal best in the decathlon at the 1984 Olympic trials where he placed 12th, scoring 7,663 points. Now 12th place at one meet might not sound all that impressive to you initially, but it does when you realize that because of that performance, he was ranked the 12th best overall individual athlete in the entire nation!
As to technique in various events, we worked very closely together without any problems. He was an Adonis type athlete, with all the physical tools being able to do anything at a superior level. About 6'1" and weighing 220 lbs. He spent countless hours in the weight room, fearlessly attacking anything in his way. Muscles bulged upon muscles. He was the type of athlete that most coaches only dream of coaching.When asked about his work ethic, Coach Jones said of Scott that "his biggest problem was overdoing just about everything he attempted. He didn't know when to back off." They say that any great/successful athlete has an equally great/successful coach behind them. This couldn't be more true than for Scott Daniels and coach Mike Jones.
As to listening to what you had to say in a coaching way, 99% of the time he would listen closely to you, do what you said, and then added a little of his own ideas. He was very coachable, however he always put in his own twist to what was presented. I didn't have a problem with this, as we always talked about it and were able to communicate without resistance. Loved the guy.To give me more of an idea of the kind of worker and person he was, Coach Jones had this to say about Scott:
We had a sidewalk about 200 yards long going uphill from the library to the HPER, and he always finished his workouts doing multiple repeats running up that hill. We named that hill 'Daniel's Hill' after him. Many a time before competition, I wanted him to rest for recovery, and he'd sneak out and keep doing that hill. In competition he always came through so I didn't say too much. Sometimes superior athletes have their own ideas on what works for them, but with Scott, he'd always do our workout....but sneak in his ideas anyway. I loved it. What a hard working tremendous athlete. As a person, so very personable. I don't know of anyone who didn't just love the guy. A very popular guy, and his outstanding work habits were a perfect example for all our team. What a pleasure it was to have him on the team.On May 18 2005, it was announced that the University of Utah Men's Track program would be discontinued. Almost one year later to the day, Scott Daniels passed away from Leukemia at age 46. "I got to talk to Scott three days before he died. All he wanted to do was thank me for coaching him. He did not want any sympathy. That was him, thinking about other people" said a former coach.
There is no campus memorial to Scott. There's no plaque to highlight his collegiate or post-collegiate accomplishments. There's no place of honor for his name at McCarthey Track & Field with the other Utah outdoor records. He hasn't been inducted into the Crimson Club Hall of Fame. Someone like Scott shouldn't be forgotten like that. Based on what I've come to learn about him, I think that if anyone would have gotten a kick out of seeing their own records being broken, it would have been Scott. It's a shame that no one will have the opportunity to try now.
When I told Coach Jones that I thought Scott was the greatest athlete in University of Utah history, he had just one thing to say: "I think you have hit the nail on the head."
I was just talking to my Son about Scott and how much of a stud he was I had recalled the summer of 1984 where I was back home in Irvine California and was training at UCI where Daley Thompson and other Olympic hopefuls were training for the LA Olympics. I ran into Scott who was a teammate of mine at the University of Utah. It was a great reunion to see Scott and be introduced to his friend Daley. I can attest that this guy was a stud in the weight room and on the track. We were running the 400x100 final at BYU in the WAC championships. I was the 2nd leg but.Carl Monroe did not show up on the finals day so I moved to anchor leg and Scott took my leg. We did well in the relay. Great Memories!! I did not hear of his passing till reading this. I agree with Coach Mike. Both were legends to me!
ReplyDeleteDave Anderson