It’s sad to hear of Jack’s passing—his research and training methods have made a huge impact on our sport. He’ll be missed by many.
He was also always gracious with his time. He spoke to our Tuesday night workout group in 2024 and came to a number of our indoor track meets to sign books and chat about training. I’ve been to quite a few of his talks, regularly consult his books, and use his training principles for our workouts.
There will be a memorial service on Saturday at 2 PM.
From: President’s Office <communicator@cortland.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2025 8:27 AM
Subject: Sad news about a retired colleague
Dear campus community members,
I am very sad to share that Jack Daniels, a world-renowned distance running coach and exercise physiologist who earned more NCAA championships than any coach in SUNY Cortland’s history, passed away Sept. 12 at age 92.
A memorial service will take place this Saturday, Sept. 20, at 2 p.m. at Grace Christian Fellowship, located at 1250 Fisher Ave. in Cortland. Campus community members are invited to attend.
Jack led an extraordinary career on our campus and across the globe. A former Physical Education Department faculty member, he published his best-known book, Daniels’ Running Formula, while at Cortland and he was later named the “World’s Best Coach” by Runner’s World magazine. Jack also lived in Cortland in retirement with his wife Nancy.
Jack’s achievements as a championship-winning coach and a globally respected scholar represent the excellence that many people associate with SUNY Cortland. He will be missed by many.
Sincerely,
Erik J. Bitterbaum
President
And a nice New York Times obit.
https://archive.is/20250919215906/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/sports/jack-daniels-dead.html
Although I’ve never been one to have an interest in consuming alcohol, let alone whiskey, I have anchored many a day and night in Jack Daniels. My earlier name association would have been that of the Tennessee Whiskey. My chosen form was in the legendary individual. One of if not the most influential exercise physiologists and impactful coaches of which I’m aware in the history of running. Running became my chosen leisure activity, my in and outlet, my community, my profession. Jack and his work have and continue to weave through this path.
Somewhere around my sophomore or Junior year in College my Coach and I had a bit of a falling out. One of the conversations ended with him saying, “Ian, if you want Jack, I’ll give you Jack”. That fracture never really went away and I think it dug a bit at both of us. Still connected, it still does. Coach Nichols was one, from my vantage point to just do what he’d always done as an athlete. Coming from a DIII power house, it worked for him and them. It wasn’t working for me, at least cerebrally.
I wanted to know the science, the why, to have intention. I’d lost faith that what we were doing had much of any of that. Coach Nichols was supportive, structured, and was a solid runner prior, but what I wanted was Jack Daniels. That’s to say I wanted the science, the why, the individual that was using both, along with his iconic personae, to create one of the strongest DIII programs in the Country (at least for women) and coaching elites.
Jack and I would occasionally connect at meets. Our teams were closer in those years. We’d get together during the week or on weekends, either to hang out or occasionally run. My senior year I started dating one of his athletes, Cheryl Smith. She was a stud, far outrunning all others in the national space in DIII. A year or so later Jack was looking into a next chapter in the form of applying for a position as University of Hawaii Head XC and Track Coach. Cheryl was offered a full ride and it was a good opportunity to bounce into D1 which better suited her capabilities. She said she’d go if I’d go. Hawaii? I’m in.
We made all the plans, arrived, but without Jack. The position went to a Head and Assistant from Canada. Cheryl had a decent D1 career, ran elite for a bit, and resettled in California as a young mom not long after. I returned to the mainland, bounced around in the Pacific Northwest a bit before returning east. You never quite know how all of the butterfly effects in life impact your trajectory. For me Jack was one of those butterflies that impacted my life on many levels.
Although his work, research on training, use of Vdot tables would color not only my own running, but the few years I was formally coaching both following College and more recently, it would be years before I’d reconnect with Jack and his wife Nancy in person.
I was grateful for that late in the game reconnection. For Nancy reaching back out, for them to join us for a couple Barton track sessions, to stop by the shop to hang one afternoon that followed. I’m grateful that so many of you had the opportunity to connect with them also in those moments.
His passing a couple of weeks ago was a huge loss to so many that he’s impacted along the way. The stories he had, from his experiences at the Olympics, with problematic horses, with exercise physiology attributes of athletes he’d coached along the way, seeing him standing with watch in hand and cowboy hat on his head…the in person moment opportunities have passed. His impact though, what he’s left us all, are mounds of useful data and inspiration. He truly was, as he was once dubbed, the “worlds greatest Coach”, not just for the results over his time with us, but in the impact he’ll continue to have, and with the continued utility and application of his work.
Jack was exceptional at a lot of things. But as with many of us, we don’t get it all right. What he didn’t quite nail down was financial planning. As Nancy gets back on her feet, and including back to work, she could use a bit of support covering the expenses of his passing and services. If he or his work resonated with you, if it was and may continue to be something that’s been helpful to your running journey, and if it’s in the cards, there’s a gofundme page setup for her here. If possible to kick a bit in, or share it with any whom you think might wish to support, to get this effort, across the finish line that would be awesome.
Thanks Jack for the impact you’ve had in my own life. And to all of you in a wonderful larger running family…until we connect again.
Ian
