Oregon Tech's Danny Miles, who guided the Hustlin' Owls to the 2008 NAIA Divison II men's basketball title, has been named the 2008 recipient of the NAIA Coach of Character Award.
OIT's Danny Miles Selected as Recipient of 2008 NAIA Coach of Character Award
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced today that Danny Miles, men’s basketball coach at Oregon Institute of Technology, has been named the 2008 recipient of the NAIA Coach of Character Award.
“Coach Danny Miles certainly is one of the top coaches in the country on and off the court and is most deserving of this award,” said Michael Schell, Oregon Institute of Technology Athletics Director. “Probably the first thing that could be said about character is that coach models what he teaches.”
Miles will enter his 38th campaign at Oregon Tech during the 2008-09 basketball
season. Oregon Tech won their second national championship this past season, finishing with a 31-6 record. In the last 12 seasons, Miles has led his squads to an overall 335-94 (.781) record with ten trips to the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship. Oregon Tech has the most tournament wins (25-8) of any team in NAIA Division II. In his tenure at Oregon Tech Miles has guided 13 men’s basketball teams to the national tournament.
Miles storied career hasn’t gone unnoticed. In 2005, Miles was honored by his alma mater Southern Oregon University as the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award. In 2001, Miles was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame and later that spring received the Favell Museums Klamath County Western Heritage Award. Miles is also a member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and attained similar recognition as a charter member in both the Southern Oregon University and the City of Medford Halls of Fame for his outstanding athletic fortunes.
Named Rawlings-NAIA Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2008, Miles was honored as A.T. Slats Gill All-Sports Coach of the Year and has been named Conference All-Sport Coach of the Year on eight occasions. Other honors awarded to Miles include: Conference Coach of the Year, Northwest Coach of the Year, West Coast Coach of the Year and was a finalist for National Coach of the Year in 1974.
The Medford, Oregon native has reached many milestones during his celebrated career at Oregon Tech. Miles’s highlights include two national titles, one national runner-up, one national third place, two elite eights, ten district or conference titles, seven district runners-up and ranked in the top 20 on 25 occasions with the highest ranking of first. Miles has averaged 23 wins per season and ranks seventh in wins in the history of Men’s Collegiate Basketball for all levels. For his accomplishments and commitment to Oregon Tech basketball the court is now fittingly titled the Danny Miles Court.
Miles is a legend throughout the basketball community and his service, commitment and dedication to the coaching profession both on and off the court is admired. Miles intentionally teaches character through sport at Oregon Tech and in the community of Klamath Falls. He promotes mentorship amongst the team to create an environment whereby the student-athletes are more likely to succeed on and off the court. Miles commitment to character-driven intercollegiate athletics is displayed in the standards he sets related to positive behavior.
“Dan’s resume speaks for itself with his Hall of Fame accomplishments. He is an icon on the Oregon Tech campus. As a person of character he is even more interesting,” said Douglas Yates, Ed.D, former Vice President of Finance and Admissions at Oregon Institute of Technology. “Over the years I have noticed the following special qualities. He sets an example in everything he does. Students, faculty and the community revere him for his life values. His players love him because of his concern for them as persons, his high expectations of sportsmanship on and off the court, and his teaching them to be involved with people who are less fortunate.”
Miles dedication to the NAIA’s flagship program Champions of Character is evident. He’s attended a Champions of Character workshop and implements character education training models on the OIT campus. As a coach and mentor, Miles understands his responsibility to help mold and shape the lives of young people. He believes one should “Live Like a Champion” and speaks on this notion whenever he can.
Miles was selected as the national winner of the NAIA Coach of Character Award from the following list of region award winners: Bryan Wilkins of Vanguard University (Calif., Region II); Le Ann Stefanie of Grand View College (Iowa, Region VII); Tom King of Huntington University (Ind., Region VIII), and Robin Hagen-Smith of Shawnee State University (Ohio, Region IX).
Miles will be recognized at the NAIA Awards Dinner held in conjunction with the 2009 NAIA Convention in Kansas City, Mo., April 17-21. By recognizing outstanding coaches who set the standard with their approach on and off the court, the NAIA furthers its mission to advance character-driven intercollegiate athletics. To learn more about the NAIA visit www.naia.org. To learn more about Coach Danny Miles and Oregon Institute of Technology visit www.oit.edu.