Longtime Men’s Tennis Head Coach John Daly Passes Away
10/16/2024 6:43:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Daly coached 28 years from 1972-99 and amassed 431 wins
COLUMBUS, Ohio – John Daly, longtime Ohio State men’s tennis coach, passed away on Wednesday, October 16, 2024. He was 78 years old.
Daly coached at Ohio State for 28 years from 1972 to 1999. He won 431 matches as Buckeye head coach and 449 in his career, including a season at Northern Illinois prior to his time at Ohio State.
Daly was hired for his first, full-time coaching job at Notre Dame as an assistant coach in 1970. He also ran the NCAA University Division Tennis Championships that season. He then came to Ohio State the following year and started as the Buckeye’s head coach in August of 1971.
One of the longest-tenured coaches in Ohio State Athletics history, Daly coached the first three All-Americans in Ohio State men’s tennis history – Francisco Gonzalez (1975 and 1976), Ernie Fernandez (1981) and Ty Tucker (1990 and 1991).
Daly held several other non-coaching assignments during his tenure and was also involved in other areas of higher education with the university during his time.
Daly began his career at Northern Illinois where he led the Huskies to an 18-3 record in 1970. He then joined the OSU staff in 1972. His teams finished among the top four in the Big Ten 13 times, including the 1991 Big Ten Championship season.
Daly’s tenure also produced 31 All-Big Ten selections and six Big Ten singles and doubles champions. Three All-Americans and one NCAA singles semifinalist, along with 30 academic All-Big Ten honorees played for Daly at Ohio State.
Following his retirement, he worked for 10 years at The McConnell Heart Health Center where he was instrumental in launching the executive wellness program.
Daly was fiercely committed to volunteerism and giving back to the community. Some of his accomplishments include:
- Donating refinished wine boxes for local charities, raising thousands of dollars
- Hosting wheelchair tennis tournaments, teaching wheelchair tennis players and traveling as the wheelchair tennis coach to the Junior Olympics in Paris, France.
- Starting the Ohio State University’s Varsity Arts Exhibition
- Chairing several fundraising events like The Tennis Auction Ball, benefiting the Buckeye Ranch.
Daly was married to the love of his life, Sandra, for 56 years. The couple had two daughters and a son and seven grandchildren. All three of his children and son-in-law are Ohio State alumni. He has two grandchildren who are currently attending Ohio State as well.
