Orlando McDaniel was loved by the girls he coached. There is no doubt of that.
Just in a day's worth of putting this story together, many of his former athletes reached out to us directly, asking to share their stories of Coach McDaniel, and the impact he had on their lives.
That's the kind of coach Orlando McDaniel was. He was revered by his athletes. And the love they had for him, he shared in return.
Now, at 59 years old, McDaniel is among the latest victims of COVID-19. And for a wide swath of North Texas athletes, he's now the face of the pandemic. His loss is profound. And his legacy is carried on by the young women he coached for the last couple decades here in the Metroplex.