Former Sports Star, North Texas Youth Coach Orlando McDaniel Dies From Coronavirus
DESOTO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — Former sports star and North Texas youth coach Orlando McDaniel passed away from the coronavirus Saturday morning. He was 59.
McDaniel was a former two-sport star at LSU before being drafted by the Denver Broncos as a wide receiver.
However, his legacy may be all the lives he touched in DFW. The 59-year-old coach founded the North Texas Cheetahs track team in 2003.
Although McDaniel spent his last couple of weeks in a hospital fighting COVID-19, his daughter Alexis said his impact will last a lifetime.
"I see that everybody else is showing me love and it just makes me feel so much better, especially seeing the way that he impacted the community," she said. "I can see how much my dad really meant not just to DFW but to the country."
Her father's favorite motto was 'trust the process' and now their family is trusting that he's in a better place.
"It was sad just knowing that I can't get a hug from him anymore. He loved fatherly love and father-daughter time," Alexis said.
And through the new county restrictions, she said her and her family were able to video chat him and hear his voice before he died.