Keith Daniels was born October 15, 1931, in Montpelier, Ohio. He ran cross country and track in college and received degrees in Naval Science, Physics, and Math from the Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Daniels was a member of the U.S. Navy. He was released from active duty in 1957, and earned a master’s degree in Physics from Miami University and continued graduate studies in Educational Administration at University of Indiana. In 1963, Daniels started as a physics professor at Wisconsin State College at Eau Claire. In 1966, he started and coached the cross-country program, which he coached for 27 years (1966-1993). He also served as an assistant track coach. Daniels initiated the first district meet in 1971, developed district qualifying standards, helped establish a National Meet to be held during November, served as District Cross Country Chair, and assisted the Wisconsin State University Conference (WSUC) commissioner in preparing the annual cross-country guidebooks. His teams won many district titles and qualified for Nationals many times. Daniels was the first coach to be inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) District 14 Cross Country Hall of Fame, in 1986. Daniels married Mary Avolyn Culver in October 1954 and they had four children: Keith, Jr., Richard, Douglas, and Avolyn. Daniels passed away in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, March 4, 2022, at 90 years of age.