Athletics Manitoba was extremely saddened to learn yesterday that James (Jim) Daly passed away on Wednesday night.
Our hearts go out to his family and friends, and all those within our community that knew him well. He will be fondly remembered as a remarkable coach, an outstanding builder and fundraiser, and of course a strong and vocal advocate for athletes.
He coached for more than 65 years, starting the track and field club at the University of Manitoba back in 1949 and coaching at the school until 1996. He was involved in the planning of the Frank Kennedy Centre and the indoor complex affectionately know as the “Gritty Grotto”, which has now been replaced by the world-class Active Living Centre. He also worked with the Athletics team at Fort Richmond Collegiate for over 10 years.
He spearheaded the group that brought the 1967 Pan-Am Games to Winnipeg and “Mr. Track and Field” was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1994. Most recently, in 2015, the University of Manitoba re-named the indoor athletics facility after him, the James Daly Fieldhouse. He became a member of the Order of Manitoba in 2000 and was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2001.
In addition to everything he did for Athletics, he also had an incredible impact outside of our sport. He managed Canada’s Olympic team in 1964, served an 8-year term on the board of Tennis Canada, was Executive Director of the 1967 Pan American Games, was Canada’s Chef De Mission for the 1986 and 1990 Commonwealth Games, and advised the 2002 North American Indigenous Games.
Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends, and all those who knew him.
As noted in the obituary, a celebration of Jim’s life will be announced at a later time.
The family did also share that if so desired, donations can be made at the University of Manitoba, where Jim had set up a scholarship fund under his name for aspiring track and field athletes.
The following links are for some of the recent news articles about Jim and his impact,
The UM today news article from the renaming of the field house – https://news.umanitoba.ca/field-house-to-be-named-after-the-legendary-james-daly/
Global News story from his Active for Life Coaching Award – https://globalnews.ca/news/2658546/jim-daly-wins-active-for-life-coaching-award/
Jim’s Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame biography- http://honouredmembers.sportmanitoba.ca/inductee.php?id=153
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