Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Jack’s back: Daniels gets new gig
Former Dwyer coach comes out of retirement to lead Cardinal Newman after Burack steps down
One of the most successful coaches in Palm Beach County history is coming out of retirement.
Former Dwyer coach Jack Daniels, who stepped down from the Panthers job after the 2018 season, will be the next coach at Cardinal Newman, Daniels told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“Well, I think I tried fishing; I wasn’t very good at that. I tried golf; I wasn’t very good at that,” Daniels said. “My wife got tired of me being around so much, and I missed being around the kids and I missed football. I miss being around the players. I really enjoyed that.”
Daniels replaces Dan Burack, who stepped down from the position before the school’s winter break, according to a message Burack posted on his Twitter account. Burack went 4-4 in his one season as the Crusaders’ head coach.
“I will be pursuing other opportunities for advancements in my career at Newman that will provide me the opportunity to spend more time with my expecting wife and family, while furthering my career in education and coaching,” Burack wrote in his post on Twitter. “To the parents, players, and coaches I want to say thank you for always giving me your support and your all.”
Cardinal Newman athletic director Andre Torres could not be reached for comment.
Daniels said Torres reached out to him after Burack decided to step down, and the two met and jelled. Daniels said he and Torres had a similar vision: “To make Cardinal Newman back into one of the most dominant programs in Palm Beach County, which it was in all sports. I think the football culture is very important for that. I want to take it to the top, be one of the top teams in Palm Beach County.”
Daniels said he was offered the job and mulled it over during the winter break before accepting the job.
“I thought about it over the break and really thought it would be a great opportunity,” Daniels said. “Back when I was growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s, just the great football teams with coach [Sam] Budnyk and the great tradition they have. It’s intriguing to me to try to get it back to the level that it used to be.”
Daniels comes with a wealth of experience. He won 234 games and a pair of state championships (2009, 2013) in 23 years as Dwyer’s head coach. The Panthers missed the playoffs only four times in his tenure and had a 15-year run of consecutive playoff appearances. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission named Daniels the Palm Beach County Coach of the Year in 2008 and 2009.
Daniels played college football at Florida and took over the Panthers program in 1996. In 2014, he was approached by then-Florida Atlantic coach Charlie Partridge about joining the Owls’ staff, but he declined. He also told the Sun Sentinel that he had an opportunity to go to Arizona as a graduate assistant but decided not to.
During his time with the Panthers, more than 100 players went on to play for college teams and seven made it to the NFL.
After turning Dwyer into one of the premier programs not just in Palm Beach County but in the whole state, Daniels said he’s looking forward to trying to build the Crusaders into a top program.
“To get to Dwyer’s level, that’ll be a great challenge,” Daniels said. “But I’ve got a staff — a lot of guys who were with me at Dwyer that want to come work. I think it’s definitely possible to get to one of the elite programs in the county.”