Daniel Brunner was a force for the Lynx defense in his four seasons as a starter at defensive end.
Daniel led the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) in quarterback sacks in 2005 and finished the season ranked 8th in NCAA Division III in that category. He led the Lynx in tackles for loss and quarterback sacks in 2002, 2003, and 2005. Had it not been for a season-ending knee injury, he would have also led in those categories during the 2004 season. He was named All-SCAC twice during his illustrious career.
Taking full advantage of his time at Rhodes, Daniel was involved in campus leadership activities on and off the field. These included:
- Volunteering for the NCAA-sponsored tutoring program, where he devoted his time to tutoring middle school students from the inner-city
- Interning for a Memphis City Council member
- Serving a four-year term on the football team leadership council
- Being elected as a team captain by his teammates
Post-college, Daniel entered the coaching profession, serving as a graduate assistant at LaGrange College and receiving a Master of Arts in teaching while assisting the defensive line. Upon completion of his master’s, he began his long and incredibly successful career in high school coaching in the Atlanta area, first at Centennial High School in Roswell, Georgia, and then joining George Walton High School as an assistant in 2013.
In 2017, he was named Head Coach at Walton, and a meteoric rise as a head coach in Georgia began. During his tenure as a head coach, Daniel has instilled in his players the same lessons he learned during his four years as a Lynx standout.Â
In recognition of his accomplishments as a student-athlete, Rhodes is honored to induct Daniel Brunner into the Rhodes Athletic Hall of Fame on this 25th day of October, 2025.
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