CCSJ names Sam Daniels as First Head Coach for Women's Flag Football
Whiting, IN – Calumet College of St. Joseph announced Sam Daniels as the Head Coach of the Women's Flag Football program.
Women's Flag Football is the newest varsity sport added to CCSJ athletics, and the inaugural Crimson Wave women's flag football season will take place in the spring of 2027.
Entering his first head coaching role, Daniels said he's very excited about the opportunity, and it's truly a dream becoming reality.
"The process of me being a head coach of a program that's just starting off is so exciting because, I can make it my own," Daniels said. "When it comes to a program, I want to make it family oriented because I want the student-athletes to trust me and be able to have open dialogue with me. I want everyone to be comfortable throughout this process while understanding your personality, who you are and how you go about your job makes things 10x easier. … I've been manifesting this for a long time and I'm happy that it's finally here."
Most recently, Daniels has been on the coaching staff for the Crimson Wave Sprint Football team since 2023. He was the defensive backs coach in 2023-24, helping CCSJ win back-to-back Midwest Sprint Football League championships. He was promoted in 2025 to the sprint football team's defensive coordinator position, helping lead a top-performing defensive unit within the MSFL.
Prior to that, Daniels gained seven years of experience coaching football and track & field at the high school level.
As an assistant boys and girls track & field coach at Portage High School from 2020-23, Daniels helped coach multiple athletes to new heights. The girls relay team set the school record in the 4x100 and 4x400 in 2023. Throughout the three-year span, multiple athletes qualified for state, and one became a state champion in the boys long jump in 2022.
Daniels was also the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator for the football team at East Chicago High School from 2015-19. Three football players earned all-state honors during his tenure, and the team reached the sectional championship game in 2015.
As the boy's track and field assistant coach at East Chicago from 2015-19, Daniels helped coach the boys 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams to consecutive sectional champions, along with a 9th place finish at the state meet.
With his coaching experience, Daniels believes all ladies from different backgrounds of sports, especially track & field athletes, can translate to the sport of flag football as long as they have the right mindset.
"I want competitors at the end of every day," Daniels said. "I want to see people compete with good sportsmanship and I want to see good teammates. Talent, speed and all those intangibles are great but when you build a house, you need a base. The foundation has to be correct, and I think bringing in high character student-athletes that want to compete and work hard and get better is exactly what we need."