Youngblood of Severna Park, Md., was piloting his 27-foot fishing boat with two friends when they struck a marker in the Severn River near Annapolis at 30 to 40 miles per hour at about 2 a.m. Sunday. Paramedics declared Youngblood dead at the scene.
Dan Youngblood celebrates with his team in 2009Youngblood later returned to his high school alma mater in 1997 as an assistant wrestling coach. A decade later, Youngblood became Old Mill head wrestling coach, replacing Jim Grimm in 2007. According to the Baltimore Sun, Youngblood had at least one champion wrestler each year. He led the Patriots to win six titles in 2009. The newspaper named him Anne Arundel County wrestling coach of the year in 2008 and All-Metro wrestling coach of the year in 2009.
Two distinct elements of Youngblood's coaching personality came through in news reports of his death: toughness ... and being part of a family.
Former Capital sportswriter Mike Peters remembers Youngblood as "a good man who raised tough wrestlers."
"They were aggressive because he coached that way," Peters told the Baltimore Sun. "His energy was exactly what the kids fed off of when they got onto the mat. They were just solid top to bottom. Every time that team took the mat under Dan, they probably were going to do something special."
Some of his wrestlers remember a "second father" who created a family feeling among his athletes.
Willie Pumphrey, who wrestled for Youngblood from 2006 to 2009, said the team became family.
"He made us bond as close as anybody can bond," Pumphrey said. "It's hard. Everybody's calling and making sure everybody's all right."
Nic Box, another wrestling protégé of the former Old Mill coach, posted this message on Daniel Youngblood's Facebook page:
"Saddened to learn of the news one of my high school coaches has passed on. His teachings on the mat and successful coaching career can only be eclipsed by the success he had at teaching young boys how to be young men. I know my voice is echoed by others when I say thank you for the lessons on and off the mat, coach."
The Saturday night accident that took the life of Dan Youngblood was the fifth boating fatality in Anne Arundel County in 2018.
The accident investigation is ongoing. Funeral services have not been made public.
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