Courtesy of Walsh Sports Information

It is with great sadness that the Walsh University Department of Athletics and Cavs Basketball announce the death of former Walsh University Men's Basketball Coach and Director of Athletics Dan Peters. Dan passed away this morning at the age of 60. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in December of 2013. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, and sons Danny and Michael. Nancy works in the Division of Mathematics and Science at Walsh.

Funeral arrangements are forthcoming.

"First and foremost our prayers are with Nancy, Danny and Michael and the Peters' family", expressed Walsh Director of Sports Information Jim Clark. "For those who just got to know Dan during his illness, he was a tower of strength and inspiration to everyone he touched. For us who knew of Dan as a coach and a friend he was just 'Pete,' one of the finest men and basketball coaches that you would ever meet. He was a mentor and friend to the Walsh Basketball Family, especially Walsh Head Coach Jeff Young. This upcoming season will be dedicated to his memory."

In 1980 Dan joined Bob Huggins as an assistant coach at then Walsh College, and helped turn the Cavs into a small college power. The Cavs finished 71-26 under Huggins and Peters, and won Walsh's first conference and district championships, finishing 34-1 in 1982-83 and making Walsh's first trip to the NAIA National Tournament. He succeeded Huggins in 1984, and directed Walsh to a 28-4 record and second straight trip to the NAIA National Championships. He spent eight seasons at Walsh, five as head coach, compiling an overall record of 116-40. Dan was named Mid-Ohio Conference and District 22 Coach of the Year twice (1983-84, 1986-87) and was selected Area VI Coach of the Year in 1986-87. Walsh won at least 20 games in each of Dan's five years at Walsh.

A 30-plus year veteran on the collegiate coaching scene, Dan coached five years on the staff of Keith Dambrot at the University of Akron staff. He retired this past July. Peters was honored by the United States Basketball Writers Association's (USBWA) in February as the organization named him one of three recipients of its Most Courageous Award.

Peters came to UA after spending five seasons at Ohio State, serving as associate director of operations his first two years there. In three seasons as an assistant coach at OSU (2005-07), he helped the Buckeyes to 81 victories, two NCAA tournament appearances, a school-record 35 wins in 2006-07, a pair of outright Big Ten regular-season titles, a league tournament title and an appearance in the 2007 NCAA National Championship game.

Peters spent five years on the of Bob Huggins staff at the University of Cincinnati. Dan joined the Cincinnati staff in May of 1999 as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate head coach in 2002.

Prior to his stint at Cincinnati, Peters spent six seasons as head coach at Youngstown State and St. Joseph's College of Indiana, amassing a combined record of 237-140 in 14 years as a head coach.

In 1993, Peters moved to Youngstown State to take over the program as the head coach. He directed the 1998 edition of the Penguins to a 20-8 record, a berth in the championship game of the Mid-Continent Conference tournament and was named the league's coach of the year.

Following the 1991 season, Peters was named head coach at St. Joseph's, where he compiled a two-year mark of 43-14 and led his team to an NCAA Division II tournament appearance in his first season.

At the conclusion of the 1988 campaign, Peters left Walsh to accept an offer to become an assistant coach at Western Carolina. The following year, he returned to Ohio and spent two seasons (1990 and 1991) as an assistant coach at Akron under then Zips' head coach Coleman Crawford.

Peters began his coaching career at Guernsey Catholic High School in Cambridge, Ohio. He spent two years there and one season at Meadowbrook High School in Byesville, Ohio, before jumping to the collegiate ranks as a graduate assistant at Delta State for the 1979-80 season.

Peters was born in Cleveland and grew up in Canton. He is a 1976 graduate of Kent State, earning a bachelor's degree in social studies.