Micah McDaniel’s friendship with Point Loma Nazarene University athletic director Ethan Hamilton spanned 25 years. They met when McDaniel was a senior sports editor for the Azusa Pacific University student paper and Hamilton was a fresh-faced new hire as an assistant coach with the men’s basketball program. After McDaniel graduated, they became colleagues when he was hired as the assistant sports information director at APU. Later, they became neighbors, living in the same apartment complex.

Understandably, in the wake of his old friend’s death, it’s difficult for McDaniel to get past the numbness and sift through the lunches, family get-togethers, and Super Bowl parties to highlight specific moments, but at the forefront is the way Hamilton would squeeze his neck and emphatically ask ‘Hey, how’s it going?’

“What struck me from day one, he was wise beyond his years,” McDaniel said over the phone while waiting for his lunch in a drive-through line in Northeast Texas. “He was mid 20s when we met and he already had a boatload of wisdom that was evident whenever you talked to him. He was fun, always laughing.”

Hamilton, 48, passed away on July 4, shortly after being diagnosed with leukemia.

“I’ve never been part of something that moved so fast,” PLNU men’s basketball head coach Justin Downer said. “Tuesday morning, we found out and Thursday night he passed away. It didn’t feel real. Stuff like this doesn’t happen this fast. This is hard. Ethan is as unique of a leader as I have ever been around. He was lightning in a bottle for Point Loma.”

“Nobody ever expected this,” added former PLNU assistant men’s basketball coach Julius Smith. “Because of the caliber of person and leader he was – not just at Point Loma but in his everyday life as a husband, father, and friend, he meant a lot of really good things to a lot of people. Getting the text message about his sickness and then the call about his death – it has been really hard to process.”

Hamilton, an alumnus of PLNU graduated in 1997. He returned to the Point in 2005 as an assistant coach with the men’s basketball team. In 2008 he became the head coach and then in 2009, he was promoted to athletic director.

During his 15-year run as AD, the athletic program saw unprecedented growth. In 2014 the university transitioned from NAIA to NCAA Division II. In that stretch, the Sea Lions made 45 NCAA postseason appearances spread out across 11 teams with 21 PacWest championships.

Additionally, both the baseball and men’s basketball programs have finished as national-runners up.

Hamilton also oversaw renovations to Golden Gym and Carroll B. Land Stadium and built partnerships with Nike and BSN Sports.

“Ethan’s impact on Point Loma can’t be overstated,” said Tim Heiduk, PLNU associate athletic director for communications. “The success of PLNU athletics is a direct result of Ethan’s leadership and vision for the department, seeking to put the student-athlete first in all things. I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to witness his character and leadership firsthand. He was the quintessential leader and one whom we all looked up to in many ways. We are all better people for having known him.

He embodied everything that Point Loma is about through his strong faith and care for others. He always made people feel heard and was very intentional with his time, going out of his way to make others feel included and appreciated for their efforts.”

Hamilton was also instrumental in getting the new Biomechanics Lab off the ground in partnership with the Padres.

“His relationship with the [Padres] front office certainly influenced the decision-making process as members often spoke highly of him,” Arnel Aguinaldo, a biomechanics professor at PLNU said. “We shared the same vision of enhancing athletic performance and health through our research in the lab and even potentially a second lab at Carroll B. Land stadium on the main campus.”

Hamilton is survived by his wife Andrea and children Eli and Lily.

“The pool of candidates that we likely had that I will never know the truth on into my hire and for him to believe in me because I aligned with program and university, I owe him so much in my career for believing in me in the short time we were together,” Downer said. “Going forward coaching my program he will always be part of it because he gave me my first opportunity and was the first one to believe in me in this way.”

“Sometimes we get these tyrannical leaders that only care about the success of the school, Ethan cared about the success of the people,” added Smith.

Hamilton’s memorial service will be held in Rancho Santa Fe at Horizon Church at 3 p.m. on July 28. A GoFundMe to help the Hamilton family has been created aquí.