Thad Daniel named to Shawano Hall of Fame

Thad Daniel attended Shawano High School from 1978-1982. He was a 12-season athlete during his high school career earning 10 varsity letters.

Daniel earned four varsity letters in his four seasons with the cross-country team. In his sophomore season, he was named Most Improved Runner. This 1979 team won five regular season invitationals, finished third in the conference meet, and finished second at the Wausau Sectional.

In 1980, he was part of the first cross-country team from Shawano to ever qualify for the WIAA Division 1 Cross-Country Championship. The team finished 16th at state.

In 1981 as a senior, the cross-country team won the Bay Conference Championship for the first time in school history. The team earned a return trip to the WIAA Division 1 Cross-Country Championship, again finishing 16th at state. He was named to the All-Bay Conference Team in both his junior and senior seasons and was a team captain as a senior.

Daniel also played basketball all four years of high school, earning varsity letters in his junior and senior seasons.

In his senior season in 1982, he led the team in assists, steals and minutes played and was chosen third team All-Bay Conference. The team finished its season with a record of 21-3. They won the Bay Conference title with a 16-2 conference record and advanced to the state tournament.

At state, they defeated Sheboygan South in the quarterfinal game with Daniel sinking a 12-foot turn-around jumper with five seconds remaining to win the game 52-50.

Unfortunately, the team lost in the semifinal round to Stevens Point by one point to end its season.

In the spring seasons, Daniel played tennis his first three years earning varsity letters all three seasons. As a sophomore, he had a 7-0 record in singles play. In his junior season, he was part of the team that finished 8-3. He was the No. 1 varsity player with a singles record of 12-2, and was named the team captain.

In doubles play, he was paired with his twin brother, Paul. The duo had a .75 winning percentage. They advanced to the sectional finals in both their sophomore and junior seasons.

In his senior year, Daniel ran track and field and earned a varsity. He competed in the long jump, 440-yard dash, 4x220 relay and the 4x440 relay. He was the team’s top long jumper, reaching 20 feet, 2½ inches and the top 440 sprinter. The 4x220 relay team that he was a part of held the school record until 2014.

Daniel was the senior representative on the 1982 prom court. He received the American Legion Award and Scholarship Award in 1982.

After high school, Daniel completed four years of undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in the pre-optometry program. He graduated from the Illinois College of Optometry in 1990.

Daniel practiced in Green Bay and Colorado Springs, Colorado, before moving to the Cayman Islands in 2015, where he continues to serve patients today.

Daniel has four beautiful grown daughters, Autumn, Samantha, Olivia and Madeline, and is looking forward to spending many of his future years watching his family, grandchildren, and future grandchildren grow.