Mr. Denton, longtime coach, educator and football official in the Kankakee area, died suddenly on Monday afternoon, October 17, 2011, following a short illness.

Mr. Denton was born at Paducah, Ky., on July 19, 1954, the son of Herschel Eugene and Sarah Elizabeth Clere Denton. He married the former Christine Ann Miller in Assumption on November 14, 1981, and she survives.

Also surviving are two daughters, Nicole Danielle and husband Kyle King, of Ashkum, and Samantha Elizabeth Denton and companion Devin Johnson, of St. Charles, Mo.; two grandchildren, Ava Ann Johnson and Maliyah Elizabeth Johnson; his mother, Sarah "Liz" Denton, of Olney; a sister, Jan Holtz, and a brother, David Robert and wife Debra Denton also of Olney; and sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Linda (Danny) Himes, of Assumption, Greg Miller, of Pfafftown, NC.,. Doug Miller, of Winston-Salem, N.C., and David (Ashley) Kellenberger, of Lakewood, Colo.

Mr. Denton belonged to Kankakee First Church of the Nazarene, Kankakee Elks Club and I.H.S.A.
Dan graduated from East Richland High School in Olney in 1972, where he excelled in multiple sports. He graduated from Olney Central College in 1974. While there, he played basketball and baseball. He then went on to Greenville College and played basketball, graduating in 1976. He led Greenville College in rebounding from 1974-1976. He coached at Olney Central College while he attended school there. His first full-time coaching position was at Assumption High School from 1979-1982. From Assumption he went on to teach and coach at Buckley-Loda from 1982-1985, then on to St. Elmo from 1985-1995 and back to Olney from 1995-1998. He went to Central High School in 1998 and coached basketball and girls softball. He was most recently teaching golf at Kankakee Community College and had also coached girls basketball there.

He was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan and enjoyed playing golf and tennis. He was learning to play the guitar. He was a football official and had his own officiating crew, of which he was very proud. In 2009, Dan was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. One of Dan's crowning achievements was during his tenure at St. Elmo, when he took his team to the IHSA Class 1A basketball finals, where they finished fourth. In all, Mr. Denton had coached and taught for more than 32 years.

Olney Daily Mail--Olney, IL


Dan Denton, a longtime coach and official for local high school and college sports, died Monday afternoon of cardiac arrest.

Known for his love of sports, Denton became a sort of local institution over the years, both on the sidelines as a coach and on the field of play as an official. Denton was 57.

A 36-year basketball coaching career earned the Clifton resident a 2009 induction into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

"He was very knowledgeable in every aspect of what he did, on and off the floor," Kankakee Community College women's basketball coach Donnie Denson said. "It's a kick in the gut. I can't believe this has happened."

Denton served as an official for local football games for 18 seasons, becoming a head official for the first time last year.

"He worked really hard at it and became a great official," said Dick Frey, a former longtime official who mentored Denton early in his officiating career. "He made our crew much better. We started getting more playoff games. I had a good time teaching him."

In the first game of the 2011 high school football season, Denton suffered a seizure while performing the coin toss and was hospitalized. He briefly returned to the field before undergoing brain surgery in early October.

Denton enjoyed the camaraderie of officiating.

During his hospitalization in August, he told The Daily Journal that his crew "is not only a partnership but also a brothership. It sounds corny, but it is."

After his brain surgery, Denton remained hospitalized until last week. The relationship Denton had with those he coached was lasting, and many former players visited him when he returned home.

"He loved his players almost to the point where it drove me nuts," Denson said. "Nine former players drove to his house Friday to visit him and spent two and a half hours with him. They were just waiting for him to get home. This weekend, another five or six were planning to drive to see him."

Denton was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan and was enjoying the team's current run to the World Series. "He was a super Cardinal fan," said Frey, a fellow supporter of the team. "He told me wants to be buried in a Cardinal shirt."


Kankakee IL Daily Journal