Purcell Fantley Daniels, Jr.
Born January 1, 1936, Chandler, Oklahoma
Died October 23, 2003, Covina, California, age 67

Pepperdine College
6’2”, 205 lbs

Born in Oklahoma, Purcell Daniels and his family moved to Southern California during his youth. Daniels attended Compton High where he excelled as a halfback in football and as a relay man on the track-and-field squad. He attended Compton College for a time before transferring to Pepperdine in the fall of 1957. During his three years with the Waves he ran track and as he filled out physically, moved from halfback to fullback in football. He graduated in the spring of 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree.

The previous winter, Daniels had been drafted by Minneapolis/St. Paul of the AFL. After he became a free agent when the prospective team owners abandoned the league he signed with the Houston Oilers. In March 1960, the AFL awarded his rights to the new Oakland franchise and he was with that team when they opened camp in July. He only lasted about a week with the Raiders before they released him on July 20. The New York Titans picked him up and Daniels stuck with them long enough to face his old team in a preseason game, but the Titans let him go prior to the start of the regular season.

Daniels gave up big-time football after that, but he never lost of love of the sport and by the late 1960s, he was coaching a Pop Warner team in La Verne, California as well as performing an administrative role in the local Pop Warner organization. He would continue in those roles at least until the early 1970s.

During the day he worked as a probation officer at the Pomona office of the Los Angeles County Probation Department. He stayed with the department into the late 1980s, but by 1991, he was working in the North Start Art Gallery in nearby San Dimas.

He died in 2003 at the age of 67.

November 22, 1959 - Selected by Minneapolis/St Paul in the 1960 AFL draft.

January 4, 1960 - Signed by Houston sometime between this date and January 30.

January 30, 1960 - AFL awarded his league signing rights to Oakland, potentially nullifying his contract with Houston.

March 3, 1960 - AFL transferred his contract from Houston to Oakland.

July 20, 1960 - Released.