“The Best Day of My Life” Hall of Fame Coach Danny Miles – 3 Championships & 1040 Wins
This is the first of many testimonies from coaches and players across the country from different sports and different levels. I believe you will be both inspired and influenced by coaches of faith that have experienced powerfully the leading of the Holy Spirit during their careers.
Any way you break down Coach Danny Miles career, you come up with one conclusion. Uncommon Favor! For 45 years, from 1971-2016, Coach Miles “Hustlin’ Owls” represented Oregon Tech University as one of the most successful small college basketball programs in the country. This success has made Danny one of the most successful coaches in college basketball history. 1040 wins, 3 NAIA National Championships, a career winning percentage over 70%, 17 overall National Tournament appearances, and five Final Fours place him among an elite small group of Hall of Fame college coaches. By 2001 during Coach Miles first 30 seasons, his teams had impressively qualified for seven NAIA National Tournaments even reaching the Finals in 1996-97. Most coaches would be thrilled to experience those accomplishments over their career. This is where Coach Miles story gets very interesting. November 16, 2001 everything changed. His next ten seasons included ten straight National Tournament appearances and three National Championships! What lifted Coach Miles teams to a hard to reach level? I saw it with my own eyes, it was not a coincidence.
Here it from the humble leader of the “Hustlin’ Owls himself! Coach Danny Miles personal testimony:
I grew up in a Christian home and was baptized at 6 years old. My Mom was devout in her faith, but my Dad did not ever attend church. My Dad was a very good man, but was not brought up with the Lord and never became a believer.
An impactful time for me was as a seven year old, I was given the opportunity to be a batboy for the Kansas City Monarchs. They were barnstorming in the west at that time and were playing the House of David. It was a thrill for me as I got to meet Cool Papa Bell, Satchel Paige, Buck O’Neil, and Davey Whitney (future Hall of Fame coach).
That night I heard that the Monarchs were unable to stay in town because of a sun down law. I did not understand it as a seven year old, but later was proud of my mother for leaving her church soon after. She left because of the bigotry of some elders in her church concerning that. She later joined a different church that was more diverse and inclusive.
My years through school and into my early years in coaching, I attended churches and believed in God, but had never made a commitment. I was confused as to what was the Truth was but did enjoy listening to people of faith share there different views. As I got older, certain coaches started to really make a difference in my life. John Wooden was the role model for many of us during my coaching era, but it was men and women coaches from our conference, coaches at the national tournament, and people I worked with and read about that provided me with mentorship by viewing personally their walk with the Lord.
I had just turned 55 years old when I attended a funeral of a former teammate. Greg Gandee was a member of our state championship football team from 1962. With over 100 players on the team and he being a year younger, I never got to know him very well. I always admired him though because of how he lived his life and shared his faith. He had lost his battle with cancer, but that day he changed my life. He had written his own eulogy. He named ten guys from Medford and made them promise that they would meet with a man or woman of faith and talk to them about their salvation. He wanted them to promise to do so. What they chose to do after that was up to them. That afternoon I was hit hard by the Holy Spirit and drove with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes on my seventy mile trip back home. I committed my life to Jesus Christ three months later on November 16, 2001.
The most important day of my life!
Since that time my wife and I have a new daughter that we met on a mission trip to Rwanda. We asked her to be a part of our family on our second trip to the country with Athletes in Action. She is a wonderful young lady and has blessed us so much. After coming to the Lord, I decided to let the referees call the games and I would focus on coaching my guys. I also decided to look forward to road trips as a great experience, rather than a difficult one. I hoped that my players could see me as there mentor as they search for spiritual answers. Since coming to the Lord so many wonderful things have happened. The best thing is that several of the young people that have been in our programs have made faith commitments. Since 2001 we have been fortunate to have won 3 National Championships, and six total Elite Eights. It was nice to share those with so many great players, coaches, and fans.
I left coaching in 2016 because of cancer issues. I am currently cancer free and I am an athletic adviser at a Cascade Christian HS in Medford, Oregon. The Lord has blessed me in so many ways .I plan to retire this June but try to stay involved in this great game.
For an in depth look at Coach Danny Miles career Click Here!