Tributes and tears flow as Mansfield mourns the loss of football coach Daniel Maberry
Daniel Maberry, the beloved Mansfield head football coach who had built a winning program and inspired students for two decades, died on Tuesday after a two-year bought with cancer. He was 47 years old.
Maberry, who was hired as a teacher in the Mansfield school district 20 years ago, became an assistant football coach in 2002. In 2016, he came the program’s head coach and won back-to-back district titles in his first two seasons.
“My heart aches for Mansfield football and Mansfield ISD with the news of coach Maberry’s passing. His legacy as a man of faith, character and service will live on forever in the young men that he coached. May we all strive to be as great as coach Maberry,” Kevin Ozee, former athletic director at Arlington, Carroll and Duncanville ISD, posted on Twitter.
Those that knew Maberry said he was a devoted coach, however, there were two titles he put above all: husband and father.
“God truly blessed me with the most loving husband and incredible Daddy to my girls,” Cami Maberry posted on the Maberry Strong Facebook page. “We were unable to get him home but he was surrounded by everyone who loved him. My girls and I have had our entire world shaken...but we are relying on God and our incredible Mansfield community and support to get us through.
“I have read each and every comment and I’m overwhelmed but at the same time it just shows what an incredible person he is and the impact he will continue to have. We love you all!”
A memorial will be held at the Mansfield Performing Arts Center Monday at 2 p.m.
Diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphoma in January of 2018, Maberry had battled for much of the first half of the year until that summer when it went into remission. He was even cleared for most of the football season, but the disease returned in October of that year.
Maberry continued to go to practice and coach on the sideline that season, but would miss the final four games. Offensive coordinator and close friend Greg George was named interim head coach.
Last August, the community learned that Maberry would be out indefinitely, but came back for a couple of games in September as Mansfield beat Mansfield Legacy, 37-7, in Week 3. Then the following week versus Summit, Maberry got back under the headset one last time.
Despite every obstacle, he had the full support of the community, where he had spent the past two decades. In addition to being with the football team, he also served as the school’s track coach when the current campus opened in 2002. But football was his passion.
He was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach in 2016 and he took Mansfield to the regional round of the playoffs in those first two seasons when his Tigers were a combined 21-5 and won back-to-back district titles.
After the diagnosis, the community rallied around Maberry and his family. A GoFundMe account was created. Nearly $6,000 was raised within the first five hours.
Over $83,000 was raised in five months through the spring. Then the community raised more money when it hosted two barbecue lunches, with the one last June raising more than $10,000.
Last April, Maberry threw out the first pitch at a Mansfield softball game.
Dozens of supporters — current and former players, those in Maberry’s football fraternity and members of the community — took to social media Tuesday and Wednesday to grieve, express their gratitude and offer prayers to the family.
“This hurts. Thanks for everything coach Maberry. He always made sure I was doing good off the field. He helped me through my darkest times. He fought the fight,” former cornerback Miles Williams posted on Twitter.
“I can’t believe that he’s actually gone. Coach Maberry was not only a great coach, but an even better man. He would always tell us to keep competing,” senior tight end Connor Stenftenagel said in another post.
“We lost a great man of faith. We lost a leader and a giant in the community, and someone who was a great husband and father. He will be truly missed,” said Mansfield Summit coach Channon Hall in a text.
“Daniel lived and modeled his faith daily,” Philip O’Neal, Mansfield’s athletic director, said in an email. “He passionately loved his family and also loved his players and coaching football. Daniel was an amazing man who will be dearly missed by all who came into contact with him.”
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 8:27 PM.
