ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College Department of Intercollegiate Athletics mourns the loss of Dan Wood, who passed away in the morning hours of, Thursday, May 7, 2020. Wood played an instrumental role in the founding of women's golf as Ithaca's 26^th varsity sport in 2010, while also serving as the program's first head coach and remained a dedicated supporter and benefactor of the department following his retirement after the 2014-15 academic year.
 
"On behalf of the Ithaca College Athletic Department, I want to express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Wood family," said Susan Bassett '79, Associate Vice President Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. "The Wood family has been synonymous with the incredible tradition and history of IC Athletics over the past 80-plus years. Dan's impact on the department cannot be understated. His vision and leadership laid the very foundation for the varsity women's golf program on campus, which under his guidance as head coach quickly flourished into one of the top program's in the country. His legacy will continue to resonate through the program for many years to come."
 
Wood was born in Elmira, New York, in 1946 and had ties to Ithaca College from birth. Son of legendary IC Athletics patriarch Carlton "Carp" Wood – a charter member of the IC Athletics Hall of Fame after a distinguished coaching and administrative career in men's soccer, men's basketball, baseball and athletic director at the college – Dan Wood was a frequent supporter of the program throughout his early life.
 
Wood began his collegiate coaching career across town on East Hill, serving as the head coach of men's soccer and men's tennis at Cornell University, while also teaching golf in the Physical Education Department. He left the Big Red in 1977 to pursue a coaching career in the early stages of professional soccer in the United States, coaching professional clubs in Denver, Atlanta and Minneapolis between the years of 1977-1984.
 
Wood began to hone in on his passion of golf in 1985 when he joined the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) in 1985. He competed as a club professional for 11 years from 1985-1996. Highlights of his career on the main tour included a qualification for the PGA Championship (one of the four major championships in professional golf) at Bellerive in St. Louis in 1992, as well as tour victory at the Florida Open in 1995. Wood continued to compete professional as part of the Senior PGA Tour on a full-time basis from 1996-99 and continued to participate in Senior Tour events throughout the early 2000s. He qualified for five U.S. Senior Opens, which included a best finish of seventh at Riviera Country Club in 1998, notably finishing two shots ahead of all-time great Jack Nicklaus. Also on his ledger were tournament wins at the 2002 Otesaga Seniors Open in Cooperstown, New York, as well as two North Florida PGA Super Seniors Titles.
 
Wood made his return to the coaching ranks when he played a primary role in the creation of Women's Golf program at Ithaca College in 2008. Alongside his wife, Sandi Wood, the couple guided the program to a meteoric rise over the first six seasons of its existence.
 
"Dan was a man who loved coaching," current Ithaca College head coach Keith Batson said. "All you have to do is talk to his former players. Several of them chose to work in the golf business because of him. His footprint is a large one at Ithaca College as many of us know. When I took the job three years ago, Dan was the first one to call me and offer advice and help. He loved IC. We have him to thank for having a Women's Golf program as he and his wife Sandi started it. Within a few years they had Ithaca Women's Golf on the map and competing for a National Championship! Speaking for myself and the program, we send our deepest condolences to Sandi and the Wood family."
 
The Bombers captured five consecutive Empire 8 Championships from 2010-11 through Wood's final season at the helm in 2014-15, he was named Empire 8 Coach of the Year following each of those five seasons. The program reached a milestone point at the conclusion of the 2011-12 season when it began to be recognized on the national stage. IC received its first national ranking during the 2012-13 campaign, a season that witnessed program great, Sharon Li '15, become the program's first student-athlete to qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships. She went on to finish 10^th in the loaded field of players, capturing First Team All-America honors from the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WCGA) at the conclusion of the year.
 
Another milestone was reached the following season when Wood guided the program to its first qualification as a team for the NCAA Division III Championships in 2013-14. The Bombers earned a fifth-place finish as a program, while Li went on to be named WCGA Player of the Year and repeated as an All-American. During Wood's final season, three golfers averaged sub-80 per round scores en route to a fifth straight Empire 8 title. Once-again Li led the way, earning a trip to Nationals for a third consecutive season as an individual. Under Wood's tutelage, Li tied her career-best with a ninth-place finish at the event en route to Second Team All-America honors. She was named Ithaca's Iris Carnell Senior Athlete of the Year at the conclusion of the academic year.
 
"Coach always led with his heart and passion without complaint," Li recalled. "As long as you wanted to learn, no matter what, he was there for you every step of the way. Coach and Sandi were a dynamic duo who both led by example, selflessness, and welcomed everyone with open arms. There was no better coach, role model, mentor, and teacher than Coach. My four years playing for him taught me not only just about golf, but also unforgettable life lessons. The Ithaca women's golf team would not be where it is today without him. You are a true inspiration, missing you Coach."
 
The Wood family continued to be ardent supporters of the program in retirement. Most notably, they spearheaded the project which saw the installation of the innovative indoor golf simulator inside the Ithaca College Athletics & Events Center during the 2015-16 academic year.
 
Predeceased by his parents, Carlton (Carp) and Evelyn Wood, he is survived by his wife of 34 years, Sandra Carter Wood, of Port St. Lucie, Florida; his brother and sister-in-law, Tom and Jody Wood, of Bridgewater, New Jersey; his nephew, Adam Wood, also of Bridgewater; and numerous beloved aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
 
Those wishing to celebrate and commemorate Dan's life are urged to contribute to the scholar-athlete scholarship founded in his name at Ithaca High School, by sending a check via US Mail to Dan Wood Fund c/o IPEI, PO Box 4269, Ithaca NY 14852.