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Tough, Intense, and Passionate. Three words which best exemplify the characteristics of one of the top 10 head coaches in Mid-American Conference history and the second fastest men's basketball coach at BGSU to reach the 100-victory mark. Overall at BGSU, Dakich is 156-140 and is tied for third all-time in victories among Falcon coaches. He also is just one of three coaches in school history (Harold Anderson and John Weinert) to post four 18-win seasons or more in men's basketball. He has seen 20 of 23 seniors complete their degree requirements, had 12 former players sign professional contracts, including current Indiana Pacers guard Keith McLeod, and seen McLeod and Anthony Stacey earn MAC Player of the Year honors. Dakich ranks 10th all-time in victories by a MAC coach and three times he has seen a Falcon lead the league in scoring, including Martin Samarco who led the MAC with a 19.5 average in 2006-07. During his tenure, 17 players have earned All-MAC status. Prior to Dakich's arrival on campus, BG had not posted 40 wins in a two-year span (1961-63) since Hall of Famer Nate Thurmond was lacing it up for the Falcons. That was accomplished by Dakich's 1999 and 2000 teams. During the past five years, Dakich's teams have endured numerous challenges including the fact that starters have missed 124 games due to injury, an average of 24 contests per season. Dakich also is the most active coach on the BGSU staff in the community. For several Sunday's during the season, he runs the Junior Falcons basketball program, a league for children ages 7 thru 14. He also is involved with the United Way and its annual Day of Caring. This past year, he had his team participate in the local Couch Potato 5K Walk/Run. His team also volunteered at the Cherry Street Mission during Thanksgiving and he had two local youngsters serve as guest coaches as part of the Make-A-Wish Program. In addition, he was the first personal nationally to raise funds for Tsunami victims in December, 2004 after watching the tragedy unfold and asking fans at the next few home Falcon games to help. Year-By-Year Highlights 2006-07Had the youngest team in the MAC...set a school record with 10 non-conference wins... guided the Falcons to victories on the road against Horizon League winner Wright State and C-USA member Marshall... also defeated Sun Belt champion South Alabama and Sun Belt West winner Arkansas State... improved to 6-3 in BracketBuster related games with a decisive win over Morehead State... also defeated Miami on Senior Day at home...did so despite the loss of second leading returning scorer Erik Marschall, who missed 11 games due to injury... team finished third in the league in blocked shots... saw senior Martin Samarco earn honorable mention All-MAC honors after he led the league in scoring...saw sophomore Nate Miller, who missed the first eight games of the season, earn honorable mention All-MAC accolades... he is the sixth inside player in seven years to earn All-MAC distinction for the program...saw junior Matt Lefeld named third-team Academic All-American, making him one of the top 15 student-athletes in Division I basketball. 2005-06Replaced four starters from the previous season... the team's lone returning starter and top returning scorer, Steven Wright missed 11 games due to injury...captured the program's first win against an ACC school since 1967 when it won at Virginia Tech, 72-71, at the NABC Classic in Blacksburg... that marked the third time that BGSU had won its road opener under Coach Dakich... played in the Coors Classic in Mobile for the second time in four years when it faced Florida State... also posted an impressive 60-52 road win at Troy...improved to 8-1 in MAC home openers with a 66-44 win over Central Michigan... lost five league games by an average of two points, including two overtime contests... defeated MAC Tournament finalist Toledo, 59-52... posted a season sweep over Eastern Michigan... handed MAC champion Kent State its only league home loss of the season, a 79-74 BGSU triumph... it was the third BGSU win in Kent in the last four years... saw junior Martin Samarco earn second-team All-MAC honors...he led the league in three-point field goals made (3.45) and percentage (45.7)... both totals were ranked 10th in the nation... he also finished second in the MAC in scoring (18.9) giving BGSU seven players since 2000 among the top seven scorers in the league... saw junior Matt Lefeld named Academic All-MAC and CoSIDA Academic All-District. 2004-05The Falcons finished 18-11 which tied Dakich for second place on the BGSU all-time coaching list with four 18+win seasons with John Weinert... advanced to the MAC tournament in Cleveland for the sixth straight year with a 75-73 win over Ball State in the first round of the MAC Tournament... entered the final week of the regular season in first place in the MAC West before finishing third with a 10-8 record... lost Germain Fitch for the final 10 games of the season after he was injured in the post game celebration in a home win against Toledo... he had spurred a 14-point comeback in the second half...Falcons were 4-0 in the league for the second time in three years... team posted impressive road victories at Detroit, Kent State, Youngstown State, Eastern Michigan, and Marshall... with 12 wins at home, the Falcons posted double figures in victories in Anderson Arena for the sixth time in seven years... four of those home wins came in the final seconds... saw the Falcons lead the MAC in field goal shooting (48.8%, 16th nationally), assists (16.83, 12th nationally) and free throw percentage (74.8%)... saw seniors John Reimold (Mid-Major All-American) and Josh Almanson (All-District) give the Falcons one of the top tandems in the league... Reimold led the league in scoring and finished second in field goal percentage before earning second-team All-MAC recognition... Almanson was named first-team All-MAC and finished third in the league in scoring, first in field goal percentage and fourth in free throw percentage... Coach and his family helped raise $1,777 for the Red Cross as part of their tsunami disaster relief efforts. 2003-04Saw team at full strength for just 20 games (12-8) as they battled through injuries to starters Germain Fitch (17 games), John Reimold (5 games) and Jabari Mattox (19 games)... advanced to the MAC Tournament in Cleveland with a 56-54 win over Ohio in the first round... saw Ron Lewis earn second-team All-MAC honors and Kevin Netter garner honorable mention status ... played in the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii... saw Netter finish second in the league in field goal percentage and Lewis place second in free throw percentage... Falcons led the league in free throw percentage at 77.5%... team won 11 games at home and had solid road victories in the MAC at Akron and Northern Illinois. 2002-03Finished the season with just six healthy scholarship players as the Falcons battled to advance to the MAC Tournament in Cleveland with a 90-81 road victory over Ball State on the road in the tournament's first round... started the season 10-7... Falcon starters missed missed 57 games (Fitch-27, Almanson-21, and Mattox-9) ... team started 4-0 in the MAC and snapped Kent State's MAC record 17-game winning streak with a stunning 24-point comeback on the road... played #1 Alabama in the Coors Classic in Mobile, Alabama... also faced Northwestern and Michigan on the road... played on ESPN2 at Illinois-Chicago in the first-ever Bracket Buster Saturday... defeated Cleveland State at Gund Arena at the Rock and Roll Shootout... saw Netter earn honorable mention All-MAC honors and Reimold lead the league in three-point field goal percentage at 42.0. 2001-02Finished 24-9, the most wins by a BGSU team since the 1948-49 season... earned its second bid to the NIT in three seasons... was 12-6 in the MAC... took BGSU to the MAC Championship game, its first appearance in the final since 1983... defeated Akron and Ball State to advance to the league finals... Falcons defeated NCAA Tournament teams Ole Miss and UNC-Wilmington and also won at home against Michigan... Falcons notched impressive non-league road wins at Evansville and Indiana State... played in the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska... team posted a 12-game winning streak, the fourth longest in school history... saw Keith McLeod earn MAC Player of the Year and All-American honors after averaging a league-high 22.9 points... he finished eighth in the nation in that category, finished his career as the second all-time leading scorer in BGSU history and was second in the league in steals... saw McLeod make numerous last second plays to win games and was dubbed one of the top clutch players in the country by ESPN's Jay Bilas... Len Matela earned second-team All-MAC honors and led the league in field goal percentage (59.4%, 7th nationally) and Brandon Pardon led the league in assists (6.3, 14th nationally) ... team finished 13-1 at home... Falcons led the MAC and finished third nationally in field goal percentage at 48.8%... BG also was 21st in free throw percentage at 75.0%. 2000-01Finished 15-14 and 10-8 in the MAC... advanced to the MAC Tournament with a 74-68 win over Western Michigan in the first round... saw his team win seven straight games after he vowed to "turnaround" the season and came out of the locker room with his sports coat on backwards... posted back-to-back road wins at Miami and Ohio during that stretch... saw McLeod earn second-team All-MAC honors and Matela gain honorable mention All-League status... Almanson was named to the All-Freshman team... team led the MAC and finished fourth nationally in free throw percentage (76.7%)... Falcons also were 14th in the country in field goal percentage (48.4%)... Pardon led the MAC and finished sixth in the nation in assists (7.0)... the Falcons were 10-4 at home with solid non-conference road wins over Evansville and Duquesne... played against defending national champion Michigan State at the Palace of Auburn Hills. 1999-2000Won the outright MAC Championship and finished 22-8... earned an invitation the NIT where they traveled to BYU... BGSU was 14-4 in the league and won its final six games of the regular season, including tremendous road victories at Akron, 73-72, and at Marshall, 88-83, on the final week of the season...won the Nextell Challenge in Honolulu defeating Hawaii, 53-49 in the championship game... saw Anthony Stacey earn MAC Player of the Year honors and become the school's all-time leading scorer... also had Dave Esterkamp and Matela gain honorable mention All-MAC status... Falcons led the MAC and finished fourth in the nation in field goal percentage (49.2%)... BGSU also was second in the MAC and 17th nationally in free throw percentage at 74.3%... McLeod led the MAC and finished seventh in the country in three-point field goal percentage at 47.7%...finished 12-0 at home and played in front of four sellout crowds... defeated Cleveland State at the Rock and Roll Shootout at Gund Arena. 1998-99Finished 18-10 and 12-6 in the MAC... won an overtime road contest at Akron, 80-74, to advance to the MAC Semifinals in Toledo... lost to Miami, an eventual Sweet 16 program, 60-56 in overtime in that game... won six of its last seven regular season games... swept rival Toledo...played at the Hoosier Classic where it faced Indiana in the championship game... overcame the loss of All-MAC performer Tony Reid who missed the final 14 games of the season... saw Stacey earn first-team All-MAC honors... also had McLeod earn a spot on the All-Freshman team. 1997-98Lost starter All-MAC performer Anthony Stacey early in the season, ... saw Kirk Cowan and Reid earn All-MAC accolades... won key MAC road games at Ohio and Central Michigan... played former teammate Steve Alford's Southwest Missouri State Bears in the championship of the Pizza Hut Classic in Springfield, Mo. At IndianaDakich moved right from being a player for the Hoosiers to the coaching side of the game. After completing his playing career in 1984-85, he became a member of Coach Bob Knight's staff the following season, spending his first two years as a graduate assistant coach. He became Knight's top assistant coach in 1990. He is the only basketball player for Knight who has moved directly to an assistant coaching position without leaving the program. As a player, Dakich served as team captain both his junior (1983-84) and senior (1984-85) seasons. He is best remembered for his excellent defensive effort against Michael Jordan in Indiana's upset of North Carolina in the 1984 NCAA East Regional. During his four years as a player, he helped Indiana win one Big Ten title, earn three NCAA Tournament berths, and finish as the NIT runner-up his senior season. Indiana compiled an 84-39 record during Dakich's four years as a player. He had his best season as a senior averaging 5.2 points. Following his playing days, Dakich remained with the Hoosiers and spent the next 12 years as a coach with one of the premier college basketball programs in the country. The Hoosiers won a national title (1986-87); earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament in each of the 12 seasons; captured four Big Ten titles while finishing third or better in nine of the 12 years; coached six All-Americans and three national Player of the Year candidates, including 1993 Player of the Year Calbert Cheaney; worked with three Big Ten MVPs; and academically, graduated every four-year player to go through the program (Dakich was the academic monitor on the IU basketball staff his last seven years). Dakich coached 10 players at Indiana who either play or have played in the NBA. Dakich helped the Indiana program win 73.7% (283-101) of its games over the 12 years he served as an assistant coach while the Hoosiers were winning over 70% of its Big Ten contests. PersonalDakich was one of 16 former players chosen for the 2006 Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame High School Silver Anniversary team which was recognized in March before the State Tournament in Indianapolis. He played at Andrean High School in Merrillville and was a 1981 graduate. He enjoys baseball (he played first base at Indiana his sophomore year) and golf. He and his wife, the former Jackie White, have one son, Andrew (12), and one daughter, Laura (9). Dan's father, Tom, played at Bowling Green for legendary coach Harold Anderson, lettering as a junior (1954-55) and senior (1955-56). The Dakich File Full Name: Daniel John Dakich Age: 44 Birthdate/Place: August 17, 1962/Gary, Indiana Hometown: Merrillville, Indiana Began at BGSU: April 21, 1997
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