Jimmy Daniell gave his heart, his soul, his mind and his body to the former Atlantic Christian College for more than 34 years. Many years later, his alma mater honored his contribution to athletics as a recruiter, player, manager and friend of all sports by inducting him into the Barton College Hall of Fame.

His affiliation with the college began as a student-athlete in the 1946-47 and 1947-48 seasons, when he played basketball and was a student manager for the baseball team. His senior year at AC, he was also the student body president. Right after graduating in 1948, he married college sweetheart Jo Anne Coggins, who eventually earned her degree from AC in 1961 after the births of their three children: Lynn, Allan and Angela.

Daniell ventured into private business with his older brother Francis in Georgia, then returned to spend five years as a basketball coach and history teacher at his former high school, Bogart, in Oconee County, Georgia. During that time, he earned a Master’s of Education degree from the University of Georgia.

In 1955, he and his family moved back to Wilson so he could become Director of Public Relations at AC. He held that position for one year, then served the college for six years as Director of Alumni Affairs and Student Recruitment. In 1963, he began a 24-year tenure as Director of Admissions at Atlantic Christian.

Upon his retirement on Sept. 30, 1987, he was named Atlantic Christian “Alumnus of the Year” during homecoming weekend.

Daniell was born on September 29, 1922 to Dewitt and Ola Daniell in Bogart. He had three brothers (Jack, Francis, Vance) and a sister, Sue. He was active as a teenager, then played basketball on a district championship team and ran a little track at Bogart High. After a year at Georgia, he went to work in a laundry for a few years and attended a semester of school at Davidson College while serving a tour of duty in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1943-46. Upon his discharge, he followed his younger brother Jack (Class of 1947) to Atlantic Christian, where he spent 2 1/2 years that would change his life forever.

Daniell immersed himself into every facet of college life, and thus began a love affair with Atlantic Christian/Barton.

He played his junior season of basketball for M.J. “Red” Bird and his second year with Bob Spangler. Daniell is the 9th player from those two teams (plus Bird) to be inducted into the Barton Hall. Other Hall of Famers on those teams were Howard Chapin, Vince Colombo, Troy Godwin, Bobby Tart, Ed Smith, J.D. Thorne, Paul Glazer and Jack Allsbrook.

Not only was Daniell a student-athlete while in school, it has been estimated that during his years of service to the college that he was involved in the recruitment of more than 12,000 students. He recalled convincing Hall of Famers Ed Carraway (’69), Bobby Dunn (’60), and Bobby Gilmore (’69) that AC was the school for them.

Daniell, who still lives in Wilson, was also one of the primary proponents for changing the school’s name to Barton, noting that many people who were interested in AC “thought it was a preacher’s school.”

From 1955 to 1987, Daniell was a member of the North Carolina Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers, serving as the organization’s president in 1968-69. He was also a member of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars & Admissions Officers and the N.C. Personnel and Guidance Association during those same years. He served on the American Alumni Council and was a member of the Southern Regional Council of the College Board. His wife noted that Daniell had a prestigious spot on the Administrative Council all his years at Atlantic Christian.

Thus, Daniell was a player on the court, on the road and behind closed doors. His impact on Barton College and various communities was felt in a myriad of ways, and that has led him to a new place … the Hall of Fame.