Head Coach Bob Daniels

Under Daniels' guidance, Ferris State turned in its best season performance ever in the program's 27-year history NCAA Division I history for the 2002-03 campaign with a school-best 31-10-1 overall record. The Bulldogs also claimed their first-ever Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) Regular-Season Championship title with a first-place 22-5-1 league mark and advanced to the NCAA Championship Tournament's West Regional title game in their initial NCAA Tourney appearance. FSU also earned the distinction of being the nation's first team to reach the 30-win plateau in 2002-03 and also competed in the CCHA Super Six Championship Tourney for the first time since 1993.

For his efforts, Daniels was also honored as the 2002-03 Coach of the Year by both Inside College Hockey (INCH) and the March of Dimes West Michigan Sports Awards. Prior to receiving those accolades, Daniels was the unanimous choice as the CCHA's Coach of the Year as voted on by the league's head coaches. The crowning highlight in Daniels' coaching career occurred April 17, 2003, when he was selected the recipient of the 2003 Spencer Penrose Award as the AHCA's Division I National Hockey Coach of the Year. Prior to the 2006-07 season, Daniels ranked 16th among active NCAA Division I men's ice hockey head coaches in overall victories with a 239 career wins total.

Through his competitive desire and tireless work ethic over the last decade, Daniels has established a great deal of respect on both the conference and national levels. He was appointed FSU's head coach on the eve of the 1992-93 season and led the Bulldogs to 21 victories and a CCHA Tournament Semifinal berth. At the time, the accomplishment signified only the fourth time a Ferris team had won 20 games in a season and the second time in which a first-year coach won more than 16 games at FSU.

Since his arrival at Ferris State, Daniels has reached several milestones. He registered his 100th career victory March 6, 1999, in the 1998-99 regular season finale on the home ice of his alma mater, Michigan State University, as the Bulldogs recorded a 2-1 win. His school record-setting 120th victory occurred March 4, 2000, as Ferris posted a 7-0 shutout at Western Michigan University in the regular-season finale.

Having the longest tenure of any FSU hockey coach, Daniels has coached eight All-Americans during his coaching career at Ferris, including 2002-03 Hobey Baker Hat Trick Award finalist and FSU's first-ever CCHA Player of the Year Chris Kunitz.

Daniels has built a national reputation for his intense knowledge of the game and no-nonsense coaching style. In the summer of 1994, he served as head coach at the United States Olympic Festival in St. Louis, Mo., coaching Team West to a bronze medal finish. He has also assisted with the U.S. Junior National Team in competition against teams from Canada, Sweden and Russia.

From 1989-92, Daniels was an assistant coach for the Bulldogs. He first joined the FSU staff in 1989-90 as an assistant to John Perpich and coached under Bob Mancini from 1990-92. A few years earlier, Daniels broke into the CCHA as an assistant at the University of Illinois-Chicago (1987-89) and helped the Flames secure a third-place CCHA finish in 1988-89.

Daniels was a three-time Coach of the Year in the North America Junior Hockey League (1983-86) for the Hennessey Engineers and an assistant coach at the 1986 Olympic Sports Festival. In 1991, he coached Team Michigan at the Chicago Showcase high school all-star tournament.

Daniels received his bachelor of arts in accounting in 1982 from Michigan State. He holds a master's in sports organization from Miami (Ohio) University and was a graduate assistant coach for the RedHawks in 1986-87.

Daniels has been certified at the Masters Level in collegiate coaching and has completed the USA Hockey Coaches "Program of Merit." In the summer of 1993, he was head coach at the USA Hockey's National Select 16 Camp in Lake Placid, N.Y. Daniels, a member of the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA), served a four-year term on the AHCA's Board of Governors and is currently a representative of the NCAA Tournament West Regional Selection Advisory Committee.

Bob and his wife, Leslie, have been married for 23 years and reside in Big Rapids. They are parents of three children – Jenna (15), Pete (13) and Sara (6).