Daniels, Bollman battle illnesses

Life is slowly returning to normal for both assistant coaches.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Late last June, not long after discovering he had liver cancer, Joe Daniels sat his two college-age kids down and he and wife Kathy explained what they expected out of them.
"He said, 'Life goes on. I want you to be as normal as you can possibly be. You don't need to hang around worrying about me or what's going on. We just go forward,' " Kathy remembered her husband saying.
Since then, life has returned to something approaching normalcy for Daniels, an Ohio State assistant coach, and his wife and kids. The specter of the disease lingers, but he has responded well to treatment.
"It came as a shock, the health issues, but it's enriched our lives in a lot of ways, if that's possible," Kathy said, fighting to control her emotions.
Daniels, Ohio State's quarterbacks coach and passing-game coordinator, looked tired on a recent weekday as the Buckeyes prepared for their national championship showdown against Florida on Jan. 8.
Heisman triumph
That's understandable because he had just been through a whirlwind weekend in New York to watch his prize pupil, Troy Smith, accept the Heisman Trophy. Smith is almost a third of Daniels' age and he looked worn out, too.
In 180 days of dramatic highs and lows, the Heisman ceremony was one of the good days.
When Smith stepped to the podium and thanked Daniels, among many others, it was a proud moment for a man who took his first coaching job in 1964 and has mentored many prominent players: Dan Marino, Andre Reed, Ozzie Newsome and now Smith.
"That was wonderful," the diminutive Daniels said of Smith's acknowledgment. "Of course, if he has one more short joke, he's down to second team."
Another recovering coach
Daniels is one of two Ohio State coaches who came into the 2006 season after a health scare. Offensive coordinator and line coach Jim Bollman had chest pains during a recruiting trip in May. He underwent bypass surgery to open three clogged arteries.
Bollman, like Daniels, has been able to maintain a fairly routine schedule. By watching his diet and exercising, he feels as good as ever.
"I haven't had any real problems," he said. "I've just got to keep this rehab program going. But I've not missed anything. There's been some accommodating with some of the rehab stuff early but nothing drastic."
Both Daniels, 64, and Bollman, 52, are finishing up their sixth season at Ohio State. They joined the staff when Jim Tressel took over as head coach.
Daniels was looking forward to the 2006 season more than any other. His son, Matt, is a walk-on defensive back with the Buckeyes. Daughter Kaitlin is an Ohio State cheerleader.
Heart attack
Then Daniels suffered a mild heart attack, which led doctors to discover the cancer in his right kidney.
"I came through the season fine," he said. "I was tired at the end of the season, but I look over at the other coaches and they're all tired too."
The last thing he wanted was for his personal struggle to compromise his job or to be a distraction for all the young men with whom he works.
"Our coaches, who we work with everyday and we have these great relationships with, were maybe not feeling as well or maybe going through their own personal battles," wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez said. "Everybody from coaches to players has found a way to deal with that situation in his own way and get it done and do the right thing. To me, that's the best part of this team."
Knowing what their coaches were going through sent a strong signal to the players.
"It really saddened the team when they were going through that time of difficulty," defensive tackle David Patterson said. "For guys who went through what they went through, they were back in here as soon as humanly possible getting this team ready to go."
In a program that constantly defines itself as an extended family, trials seem to touch everyone in the group. Even Tyson Gentry -- who sustained a spinal-cord injury during spring workouts -- said he often thinks about Daniels' battle with cancer.
"I feel for him and know that he's gone through a lot harder times than I'm going through," said Gentry, who is still rehabbing to try to regain motion in his legs.
Through a perfect season, Daniels and Bollman continued to do their jobs. Their work helped keep their minds off health issues.
Their close calls have changed the way they go about their daily lives.