LAS VEGAS (UNLVrebels.com) – UNLV is mourning the loss of former men's and women's track & field head coach and 2008 UNLV Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Al McDaniels, who passed away Saturday.

"For decades, Al McDaniels had a tremendous impact on the sport of track & field at many levels in our community," said UNLV Director of Athletics Erick Harper. "A true teacher, he helped build a powerhouse Rebel program, including producing national champions right here in Las Vegas. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends and the countless athletes whose lives he touched."
 
A longtime figure in the track world, McDaniels joined the Rebels in 1970, first serving as an assistant coach on both the track and the football field. In 1975, he was elevated to the head coach role for both the men's (later disbanded) and women's programs in 1975. 
 
Running the track programs, McDaniels forged some of the most successful results of any UNLV sport during his tenure. His women's squads earned five different Big West Conference championships, which included more than 60 individual champions and six BWC Athlete of the Year awards. His coaching efforts were recognized throughout the conference, being voted the Big West Coach of the Year four times.
 
On the national level, his program boasted 40 NCAA All-Americans. He also coached two different NCAA Champions in the 1980s: 1984 heptathlon winner Sheila Tarr and 1987 1,000-meter indoor champion Trena Hull. McDaniels saw his women's teams pop up on NCAA Division I top-25 polls four times during the indoor season and two times during outdoor. The highest finish at the NCAA Championships his teams produced during his tenure was sixth at the 1992 championships, which also marked his final season overseeing the program.
 
A graduate of Nevada, Reno, McDaniels earned his master's degree at UNLV and taught at the institution for several years, including serving as the Director of Physical Education Activities from 1998-2004.