Luverne’s loss doesn’t diminish legendary Daniel’s pride in his Tigers

AUBURN — The final play ended with him pounding his fist on an armrest. It didn’t take long before Luverne’s legend, though mourning the Tigers’ championship loss, touted his pride in his team.

Glenn Daniel, the 93-year-old patriarch of Luverne football, who coached the Tigers for decades and who has been the unofficial grandfather to a generation of Luverne players and coaches since he retired, beamed over the season his team had.

There was no chance Fyffe’s 21-19 win over the Tigers in Friday’s Class 2A championship game at Jordan-Hare Stadium would take that away.

“I’m really proud of these guys,” Daniel said. “They’re just little bitty things and they put up a big fight.

“They know how close they came, and everybody will be strong supporters and that will help them improve.”

Daniel, rather than endure the chilly weather, watched from a luxury suite with about a dozen friends and family. They intensely watched the game, cheering the Tigers (13-2) down to the very last play.

“When Coach Daniel and people look up to us like that and believe in us, it means a lot,” senior running back Ellian Harris said.

The AHSAA honored Daniel before the game — with the Tigers in their locker room after warmups — before he retreated to the suite and cheered on his Tigers.

Daniel won 259 games in 38 seasons as Luverne’s head coach before retiring in June 1993. At 302-167-16 overall, he remained Alabama’s all-time winningest coach until 2010.

The National High School Sports Hall of Fame inducted him in 1999. He was in the AHSAA’s hall of fame before he retired.

“It’s amazing knowing how much he still loves us and came here to support us,” senior quarterback Tae Brantley said. “It means a lot that he was here, and I bet he wishes he was down there with us on the field.”

Daniel is a regular at Luverne’s games, sitting on the front row at midfield for home games — which are played in Glenn Daniel Stadium.

“Coach Daniel has been with me since the first day I walked on campus,” said Scott Rials, who has been Luverne’s coach for the last four seasons.

Rials’ office phone rang at 8:30 a.m. that day. The principal said he had a visitor at the front office.

“He’s been a great supporter and loves Luverne Tiger football,” Rials said. “It’s just an honor to get to talk to them.”

Of course, Daniel wants to see the Tigers return to the championship game next year — and win.

On Friday, he leaned up on the edge of his seat as Luverne mounted a last-minute drive. The Tigers were at midfield with 10 seconds left when they called their last timeout.

Two incomplete passes later, they completed a mid-range pass for a 21-yard gain.

As the Red Devils (15-0) celebrated their third state title in five years, the Tigers fell to their knees. Daniel said they won’t stay that way.

“They have played awfully hard all year,” Daniel said. “We’ll have to wait and see about next year. You never know.

“But getting here this year will help.”

He had watched senior Chase White kick two first-half field goals. He had watched Luverne drive inside the 5 on its first possession before going for a touchdown and falling short. Fyffe answered with a 99-yard touchdown drive.

He had watched Tae Brantley run for two fourth-quarter touchdowns, the last with 2:34 remaining. And he had watched Luverne force a punt with 1 1/2 minutes to go to set up the last-second suspense.

But he had also watched Fyffe’s Payton Anderson run for 177 yards and two scores. The Red Devils also scored on a 19-yard pass with 4:18 left.

And he watched the Tigers mourn. He knows that emotion, too.

“I know they’ll have an awfully bad feeling that they didn’t win,” Daniel said. “When you feel you could have won and don’t, that’s different.”

Brantley was 18-of-36 passing for 237 yards, plus ran 27 times for 111 yards. Junior Edward Thomas caught 11 of the passes for 132 yards, while Harris ran for 77 yards and made a game-high 13 tackles. Junior Arian Gregory added 10 tackles.

“Next year, these guys are going to come back,” Brantley said. “They’ll fight harder. They’ll work harder.

“They’re going to come back again.”

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