ASHLAND — This was supposed to be my monthly mountaineering column about the Mt. Mansfield, Vermont winter climb in whiteout freezing conditions.
On New Year’s Day, 2016, I held a “Dan The Man” T-shirt on the summit of Mt. Mansfield. The caption that accompanied that picture said, “Supporting Danny Krispinsky, from Mansfield to the top of Mt. Mansfield.” Three years later, on New Year’s Day, 2019, Danny died of cancer.
So this column would be best served talking about the support and love shown for Danny, and the movement behind the hashtag that was displayed around the world.
Admittedly, I’m far from the best person to write about what an amazing individual Danny was, but his story and the viral hashtag can’t be covered enough.
Almost four years ago, a #DanTheMan social campaign was created to support Danny during his plight. The hashtag went somewhat viral, as celebrities and professional athletes joined in Danny’s fight.
There was Grammy winner Amy Grant, Jim Tressel, who won the 2002 national championship at Ohio State, NBA player Kosta Koufos, NFL quarterback Marcus Mariota, Iditarod competitor Matthew Failor, the 2015 Columbus Crew team that went to the MLS Cup, Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball and USA coach of the year Sean Miller, former OSU men’s basketball coach Thad Matta, the cast of the television show “Criminal Minds,” that included Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook and Aisha Tyler, Michigan St. men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo (a Hall of Famer that won the 2000 national championship and reached seven Final Fours), and Dallas Cowboys running back and Buckeye national champion Ezekiel Elliot, to name a few.
There were also tons of pictures from friends, families and complete strangers that heard about Danny. (Some #DanTheMan examples are in photo gallery for this story — sorry we couldn’t include them all, there were just way too many.)
To be clear, all these people didn’t participate, hold up signs, wear his shirt, pose for pictures, etc., because it was the nice thing to do. They did it because of the people who asked them to do it.
What I mean is, when they heard Danny’s story, saw the passion in the eyes of those telling them about his character, of truly how great of a person he was, they felt that getting a picture with the phrase #DanTheMan wasn’t doing enough!
Danny was a true mentor to the Ashland community. He coached soccer at all levels, from running soccer camps for kids to nationally ranked college teams. Coaching seemed to come naturally. He led the Ashland High School (AHS) soccer team to an undefeated conference title and was named Northwest District Coach of the Year.
When Danny transitioned to the college game, there was no lapse in greatness.
Assisting the Ashland University (AU) men’s soccer team and completely rebuilding and solidifying the women’s soccer program as the head coach was just the start. He won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Coach of the Year award in 2016.
Let’s also not forget he was, for lack of a better word, a bad-ass player in basketball and soccer, and at both the high school and collegiate level.
When Ashland High School reached the Division I soccer Final Four, Danny was limited in his playing time because of his age, but he was the best player on the tournament team, as a freshman. He even earned the nickname, “The Danny,” and a constant theme was: “just pass it to The Danny.”
If it doesn’t already have a name, there’s no reason the AHS soccer field shouldn’t be called, “THE DANNY Krispinsky Memorial Field.”
When he played at AU, dominance continued. Danny was an all-GLIAC selection, captain of the soccer team and led the Eagles to a 2005 GLIAC championship, the first ever in AU’s history.
After college, Danny earned a spot on the super selective Cleveland Donauschwaben men’s soccer team.
In the Ashland area, almost everyone knew “that nice boy Danny” from how much he gave back, accomplished, volunteered and truly led by example.
Yes, those are the types of things that are typically said when someone dies young and of cancer. But I challenge you to find a single person that had a negative thing to say about Danny — from classmates and teachers, to co-workers, associates, assistants and players. The proof is in the pudding.
Just ask his family, friends and wife, Matti, who never left his side throughout the entire ordeal. The strength she has shown, along with Danny’s parents, brother, and sister, can’t be quantified within the English language.
By now, most of you have read the press releases, social media posts and obituaries on Danny. So I’ll shut up, and relay the last time I saw him play soccer.
It was at the AHS alumni game a year and a half ago. He split two defenders and played an amazing through ball that led to a goal. An old teammate went up to him and said, “Damn, Danny, I thought you were supposed to be slower now.”
Danny just responded with a little side smile and a wink.
He was a natural in every way.
