“I spent ten of my first 22 years of life as a wrestler. I started in seventh grade and wrestled through four years of college. I would describe my wrestling career as a good one, but not a great one. I never won a tournament championship in HS or college. I seldom pinned an opponent, the ultimate goal on the mat. Instead, I usually won close decisions by narrow scores of 3-2 or 5-3. I was nearly six feet tall and wrestled at 145 pounds as a skinny HS senior, and 158 as a college senior.  Although I trained hard and was always in very good shape, I never lifted weights to build strength or muscle. I never dominated through physical superiority. My wrestling philosophy was to outsmart my opponent, to “trick ‘em” with quickness, leverage, balance, and excellent technique. It was just enough to keep me undefeated during the regular season as a HS senior, and I was the first wrestler ever from Hoquiam HS to place at the state tournament.”  Dan’s own words perfectly summarize his early years in wrestling. In college he wrestled for Washington State Univ and Western Washington State College, and as a senior in 1974, placed sixth in the nation at the NAIA tournament in River Falls, Wisconsin. He then returned to his home school district to teach math and coach middle school wrestling before moving with his wife Kathleen to Klamath Falls, Oregon, where he eventually became the head wrestling coach at Klamath Union HS.  Then he found his true passion: officiating wrestling. Dan spent every year from 1982 through 2023 being involved in officiating, with most of those years in Colorado where the family, which now included daughters Janet and Karlyn, moved in 1984. He was an active official until 2002, when he transitioned to a leadership role with the Colorado Wrestling Officials Association. In this role he led clinics, mentored young officials, evaluated officials at the state tournament, and served as the CWOA Officials Coordinator/Liaison to CHSAA. He also served for several years on the National Wrestling Hall of Fame-Colorado Chapter board and valued being a part of such an important group of wrestling supporters. The friendships Dan made with coaches and officials were life-long and deeply rewarding. The impact wrestling made on his life was equally significant. To pay this forward, his family has started the Dan Daly Opportunity Fund. This fund will allow wrestling programs to provide something extra for the extraordinary young men and women who choose to compete at the HS level. And it will provide one more way to honor Dan’s memory. (The first recipient, Buena Vista HS, purchased a wrestling mat that was also used at the state tournament.) Each year one public HS wrestling program will receive a $5,000 grant to help enhance the school’s program. We hope that this legacy will help other aspiring athletes to achieve their goals as Dan achieved his.

For information and to apply, please visit this Chaffee County Community Foundation

website: https://www.chaffeecommunity.org/dandaly