Steve Daniel takes over as the Fresno High football coach.
ANTHONY GALAVIZ
agalaviz@fresnobee.com
Steve Daniel has seen firsthand what a turnaround at Fresno High can look like under former coach Ray Reyes. Now, he’s hoping to lead one of his own.
Daniel was recently named the Warriors’ head football coach after serving as an assistant at Torres High.
“I feel like I have a legacy here to protect,” Daniel said. “I didn’t play here, but I grew as a coach here. It’s the same kind of situation the two times I’ve been here before, and that’s played into this.”
Daniel was on Reyes’ staff in 2003 and 2004, when Fresno improved from 3-7 to 8-5, according to Central Section historian Bob Barnett.
The 2004 team captured the North Yosemite League title before falling to Yosemite 45-13 in the Division III championship game.
He returned to Fresno High alongside Reyes in 2014, helping the Warriors post back-to-back winning seasons at 7-5 and 9-2.
When Joseph Marquez succeeded Reyes in 2016, Daniel remained on staff.
During that stretch, Fresno went 21-16 overall, highlighted by a 10-4 season, before Marquez left in 2019 to launch the football program at Torres High. Daniel went, too.
Since then, the Warriors have struggled.
Fresno has not posted a winning season since 2017 and has gone winless over the past two years.
The program’s last victory came Oct. 13, 2023, when it defeated Sanger West 47-42.
Daniel believes the Warriors are capable of returning to prominence and restoring the pride he said has been missing from the program.
He compares Fresno High’s potential to “sitting on oil” and often refers to the school simply as “The High.”
“I meant it as barren land that nobody wants,” Daniel said. “It looks worthless, but little do people know there is oil under it. Oil is the talent. I took the job because FHS has enough talent to compete at a high level. We have to keep the talent home by winning first of all, and creating a culture that players and parents want to be a part of.”
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Anthony Galaviz writes about sports for The Fresno Bee. He covers the Las Vegas Raiders, high schools, boxing, MMA and junior colleges. He’s been with The Bee since 1997 and attended Fresno City College before graduating from Fresno State with a major in journalism and a minor in criminology.
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