Orlando McDaniel, ‘79 Theta Kappa brother, LSU standout and former Denver Bronco wide receiver, dies from coronavirus

Orlando McDaniel, ‘79 Theta Kappa, LSU standout and former Denver Bronco wide receiver, dies from coronavirus

by OPPF Editorial Board - March 29, 2020

Brother Orlando McDaniel, a former wideout for the Denver Broncos and a two-sport standout at Louisiana State University, has died from complications related to the coronavirus, according to ESPN and the Advocate in Baton Rouge.

McDaniel was initiated into the fraternity in the spring of 1979 through Theta Kappa Chapter on the LSU campus. He was 59.

The Advocate reported McDaniel had recently traveled to Washington D.C. and became ill after he returned home.

McDaniel is the third member of the fraternity who has died from the coronavirus. Larry Edgeworth, an audio engineer at NBC News and Marlowe Stoudamire, a consultant and entrepreneur in Detroit, also died.

McDaniel, a native of Shreveport, Louisiana, was an all-state performer at Lake Charles High School. At LSU, he caught 64 passes for 1,184 yards with three touchdowns in four seasons from 1978-81. In 1981, McDaniel averaged 17.5 yards per catch, which ranked second in the Southeast Conference.

While at LSU, McDaniel won an SEC championship in the 110-meter hurdles and finished second in that event at the 1980 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He was named All-American in the 60-yard hurdles in 1980 and 110 hurdles in 1980 and ’81, according to ESPN.

As a wide receiver, the Advocate reported, McDaniel caught 64 passes for 1,184 yards and three touchdowns in four seasons for LSU during a run-oriented era. As a senior, his 17.5-yards-per-catch average ranked second in the SEC. He was fourth in yards receiving (719) and made 41 catches that year.

The Broncos drafted McDaniel in the second round (50th overall) of the 1982 NFL draft. He appeared in three games without making a catch.

In 2003, McDaniel founded the North Texas Cheetahs Youth Track Club. He coached many of that area’s top athletes during summer and indoor track, according to the Dallas Morning News.

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