Longtime Cal women's golf coach Nancy McDaniel has died

Nancy McDaniel, longtime women’s play coach astatine Cal died connected Wednesday from cancer. Her erstwhile subordinate and existent Stanford women’s play coach Anne Walker confirmed her death.

A Portland, Oregon, autochthonal and erstwhile prima golfer astatine Washington, McDaniel retired from her position astatine Cal earlier this twelvemonth aft 29 seasons arsenic nan founding caput coach of nan women’s play program. Since nan programme debuted successful 1995-96, McDaniel helped move it into 1 of nan astir nationally regarded programs. Under her leadership, Cal has consistently been classed successful nan apical 25 nationally arsenic she led nan Golden Bears to 10 NCAA Championship appearances, 22 NCAA location appearances, nan 2003 Pac-10 Championship and nan 2012 Pac-12 Championship.

“We person a saying astatine Cal that squad stands for Together Everyone Achieves More,” McDaniel routinely would say.

McDaniel had a post-playing profession defined by excellence and was showered pinch galore accolades. She was named National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Coach of nan Year, nan LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Coach of nan Year and Golfweek magazine’s Coach of nan Year.

“I americium everlastingly thankful that Cal took a chance connected maine 29 years agone arsenic it led to a dream career. Having nan expertise to usage golf, a athletics that I perfectly love, arsenic a conveyance successful mentoring young women some competitively and personally has been profound,” McDaniel said erstwhile she stepped down from her post. “The joyousness comes from watching them measurement into greatness successful each parts of their life and creating relationships pinch them that past a lifetime. I want to convey my subordinate caput coach and beloved friend Bev Terry for ever handling our players pinch positivity, attraction and compassion, and for supporting maine done these past 8 years together.”

McDaniel starred astatine Washington from 1984-88 wherever she was squad captain, an All American and earned Pac-10 All-Decade Team honors. She played professionally for 5 years earlier becoming nan founding coach of Cal’s women’s play team. Her husband, Jay, is nan caput play master astatine Claremont Country Club and served arsenic nan team’s longtime unpaid adjunct coach. “I volunteered him for nan past 29 years,” Nancy told NCGA Golf Magazine.

After garnering back-to-back Pac-10 and West Regional Coach of nan Year awards successful 2001 and 2002, McDaniel led nan Bears to a nation-best 7 first-place tourney finishes successful 2002-03, their highest-ever nationalist ranking astatine No. 2 and their first of 2 convention championships.

She was inducted into nan WGCA Hall of Fame successful 2016 successful nan later years of a 20-season consecutive tally to NCAA Regionals. She coached 17 All Americans, 31 NGCA/WGCA All-American Scholars and 43 All-Pac 10/12 golfers.

One of those players was Walker, caput coach of nan Stanford women’s play squad since 2012 — a autochthonal Scot, and a erstwhile Golden Bear subordinate who was McDaniel’s first-ever world enlistee measurement backmost successful 1997, past McDaniel’s adjunct coach for six years.

When McDaniel was diagnosed pinch bosom crab successful 2015, Walker was by McDaniel’s side. And erstwhile doctors told McDaniel nan crab returned successful nan summertime of 2023 and had moved to her stomach, Walker moved moreover closer.

“She’s my first responder,” McDaniel told NCGA Golf earlier this year. “When I went to nan infirmary successful June (2023) and recovered retired things were happening again pinch nan cancer, she was nan personification there. She was my eyes and ears erstwhile things were getting emotional. She was location asking nan questions.”

Last fall, Walker created nan Player for Her run to support bosom crab research.

“My champion friend has cancer, and I looked myself successful nan reflector and said: ‘What nan hellhole are you doing, Anne?” Walker told NCGA Golf. “You’re hosting a tourney successful nan mediate of October, nary women’s play tourney had immoderate beingness connected nan taxable . . . we request to exemplary nan measurement and bring awareness.”

And truthful nan Stanford Intercollegiate tournament, which is held successful October during Breast Cancer Awareness month, became a level for making a difference. McDaniel came retired to watch and smiled astatine each nan golfers dressed successful pink.

“It felt for illustration we were each connected nan aforesaid team,” McDaniel said of nan magical play successful October astatine Stanford. “We were each playing for thing bigger, and playing connected a squad called golf.”

In 2018, McDaniel received nan Kim Moore Spirit Award for her awesome tone and affirmative cognition wrong nan crippled of play and her occurrence arsenic a domiciled exemplary by demonstrating awesome intelligence toughness successful nan look of challenges. McDaniel was inducted into nan Northern California Golf Association’s Hall of Fame connected Oct. 16 arsenic 1 of 4 members of nan Class of 2024. Husband Jay accepted nan grant successful nan Lifetime Achievement class connected her behalf during a ceremonial held astatine Silverado Resort successful Napa.

“The effect Nancy has made connected Cal and collegiate play is immeasurable. She is genuinely a pioneer whose bequest will beryllium felt for a agelong time,” Cal Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton said. “Not only was Nancy a terrific play coach, she was a domiciled exemplary to nan countless women that came done our programme for nan past 29 years.”