Daley, a proven winner
July 2 , 2007
At 5' 10" and 160 pounds, he doesn’t look the part. He doesn’t even have the strongest arm on the team, let alone the league. He never played college ball, and didn’t even receive all the premier accolades as a high school player. So what’s so special about Muskego Hitmen quarterback Derek Daley? The answer is simple: he wins. A five year veteran of the IFL, some of Daley’s accomplishments include a .763 winning percentage and leading his team to the playoffs every year that they have been in the league. In route to this feat, the Hitmen have picked up 2 Conference Titles, 2 Ironbowl appearances, and 1 IFL Championship with Daley behind center.
If you ask his coaches and teammates how Daley gets it done year after year, they will tell you that nobody in the league plays the game harder and more fearless than Derek. He has faith in his teammates, and isn’t afraid to put the ball up for them to make a play. He can also scramble with the best of them, and isn’t afraid the lower his shoulder and put his 160 pound frame against a 300 pound lineman if it means getting a first down for his team. Perhaps the most memorable example of Daley’s hard-nosed play came in the 2004 Ironbowl which pitted the undefeated Milwaukee Bulldogs against the underdog Hitmen. Daley was the first to put the Hitmen on the board, scrambling from about 10 yards out and leaping over a Bulldog defender at the goal line, flipping end over end and landing on his back in the end zone for the score. A lot of guys, especially quarterbacks, would’ve tried to race to the corner of the end zone or tried to cut it back. For Daley, there would be no denying him that touchdown, and he was going to be sure of it.
For years there have been skeptics saying that Derek Daley isn’t big enough, isn’t accurate enough, or isn’t strong enough to get the job done. Yet, his accomplishments and the accomplishments of the Hitmen prove otherwise. With almost ten years in the Hitmen system, there is no player on the team who knows the offense better. He is a leader on the field, and plays with a tenacious passion that the Hitmen are known for. The Hitmen are off to a good start in 2007, and Daley hopes to keep them rolling. You can be assured that if it’s one more drive, one more score, or even one more yard that the Hitmen need to come out on top, Derek Daley will do everything he can to get the job done.