BIG RAPIDS – Ferris State University hockey coach Bob Daniels, respected nationally for building the program into one of the best in the nation for years, is retiring after more than three decades behind the bench.
Daniels is among the winningest active coaches in NCAA Division I hockey history. As just the 17th coach to surpass 500 career wins, his achievements span decades of dedication and excellence. His 33 seasons as a head coach rank second among active Division I coaches.
“Coach Daniels is an iconic figure in the hockey world and has been a huge ambassador for the sport and Ferris State University,” Ferris State Athletics Director Steve Brockelbank said. “He has invested so much over the last 36 years to both Bulldog Hockey and the Big Rapids community. We are grateful for all he has done and the countless lives he has impacted along the way. Today, we celebrate all his accomplishments and thank him for his extraordinary efforts.”
Under Daniels’ leadership, Ferris State achieved unprecedented success, including four NCAA tournament appearances. The Bulldogs reached the Frozen Four for the first time in 2012, culminating in a historic berth in the national championship game. They also advanced to the tournament’s final eight in 2003, 2014, and 2016, each time coming within a game of another Frozen Four appearance.
Daniels, who reached the milestone of 500 career wins in November, earned a reputation as a master strategist and inspiring leader. In 1994, he coached Team West to a bronze medal at the United States Olympic Festival and contributed to the U.S. Junior National Team’s competitions against international powerhouses like Canada, Sweden, and Russia.
His tenure with Ferris State spans 36 of the program’s 50-year history. After serving as an assistant coach from 1989 to 1992, Daniels was named the fifth head coach, ushering in an era of unparalleled success. He has the longest tenure of any Ferris State head coach, regardless of sport.
“When I came to Ferris State University in 1989, I never imagined being here 36 years later,” Daniels said. “I feel extremely blessed to have worked at such an outstanding institution with such wonderful people. It’s been an honor and privilege to serve as coach.”
Daniels said he wanted to thank coaches, players, support staff and administrators he has worked with over the years, including current coaching staff members Mark Kaufman, Drew Famulak and Dave Cencer, along Ferris President Bill Pink, Brockelbank and Sport Administrator Tim Blashill.
He also appreciates the support from the boosters including the Blueline Club and Solid Ice.
“For the immediate future, I would like the focus of attention placed where it belongs, with our current team,” Daniels said. “I’m very proud of their hard work and determination in pursuit of bringing a championship to Ferris, and they deserve our staff’s undivided attention in the remainder of the season.”
Along with serving as Ferris State’s head coach, Daniels and his family have been active in the local community and involved in charitable endeavors while supporting local youth hockey and skating activities.
Daniels’ coaching staff ranks among the most tenured in all of college hockey. Associate head coach Drew Famulak has been by his side for 32 years. Fellow assistant Mark Kaufman is in his 21st season at over two different stints while assistant coach Dave Cencer has been with the program for the past 19 years.
He coached 10 players named All-Americans, including 2002-03 Hobey Baker Hat Trick Award national finalist and four-time Stanley Cup champion Chris Kunitz.
Hundreds of former players have gone on to enjoy success on the professional and international levels in leagues around the globe, including the National Hockey League. He’s mentored others who have gone on to achieve coaching success, such as notable NHL names Jeff Blashill, Derek Lalonde, Seth Appert and John Gruden.
A Michigan State University graduate, Daniels began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Miami University in Ohio in 1986-1987 and broke into the CCHA as an assistant at the University of Illinois-Chicago from 1987 to 1989.
He was quickly successful after becoming Ferris State’s head coach on the eve of the 1992-93 season, leading the Bulldogs to 21 victories and a CCHA Tournament semifinal berth. It was just the fourth time a Ferris State team had won 20 games in a season and the second time in which a first-year coach won more than 16 games.
Under Daniels’ guidance, Ferris State turned in one of its best performances ever in the program’s NCAA Division I history for the 2002-03 campaign with a school-best 31-10-1 overall record.
The Bulldogs also claimed their first-ever CCHA Regular-Season Championship title with a first place 22-5-1 league mark and advanced to the NCAA Championship Tournament’s West Regional title game in their initial NCAA Tourney appearance.
Ferris State also earned the distinction of being the nation’s first team to reach the 30-win plateau in 2002-03 and also competed in the CCHA Super Six Championship Tourney for the first time since 1993.
Daniel’s career honors include being named 2002-03 Coach of the Year by both Inside College Hockey and the March of Dimes West Michigan Sports Awards along with being a unanimous choice as the CCHA’s Coach of the Year. He also earned the 2003 Spencer Penrose Award as the AHCA’s Division I National Hockey Coach of the Year.
Daniels claimed CCHA and National Coach of the Year accolades for the second time in 2011-2012 after leading the Bulldogs to the program’s second-ever league regular-season championship and a historic first-ever trip to the Frozen Four where Ferris State reached the national championship game. The team was ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Daniels also guided the Bulldogs to the WCHA Regular-Season Championship in 2013-14 along with an NCAA Elite Eight appearance while earning WCHA Coach of the Year accolades and runner-up honors for National Coach of the Year.
Daniels in the 2015-2016 season led Ferris State to the school’s first postseason tournament championship ever, claiming the WCHA Final Five Championship. The team advanced to the national tournament for the third time in five years while reaching the NCAA Final Eight.
In addition to his coaching duties, Daniels served a four-year term on the American Hockey Coaches Association’s Board of Governors and was a representative of the NCAA Tournament West Regional Selection Advisory Committee. Most recently, he served on the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey National Committee.
Daniels’ final day is May 31, and the university will conduct a national search for his replacement.